The University of Ottawa Heart Institute

The Heart Institute is comprised of the following areas:

• Three clinical floors (102 beds) offer specialized cardiac care.
• Cardiac life support areas consist of 3 operating rooms, 3 catherization laboratories, an electrophysiology procedure room, a coronary care unit (8 beds), a recovery room (6 beds), a surgical critical care unit (8 beds), and the reference centre in-patient and day unit (24 beds).
• A 100,000 sq. ft. Research Centre focuses on Cardiovascular devices , molecular and cellular biology, lipoproteins and atherosclerosis, hypertension, clinical trials, anasesthesia research, and arrhythmia research.
• The prevention and Rehabilitation Centre includes a track, counselling space, telemetry and exercise equipment. Together with Heart Check, its health promotion arm, the Institute strives to prevent coronary heart disease, speed the recovery process and minimize the possibility of recurrence. Heart Check is available to the public and offers programs in stress management, nutrition and exercise, smoking cessation and CPR.
• The Diagnostic Centre has the latest in cardiac diagnostic tools and testing.
• The Nuclear Cardiology department houses the Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography (P.E.T.) Centre. P.E.T. offers the most accurate means for the detection of ischemic but viable heart muscle in patients with cardiac disease.
• In the Cardiac Reference Centre Day Unit (11 beds), patients are admitted for short stay procedures such as angiograms and cardioversions. The Cardiac Reference Centre allows the Institute to communicate with regional hospital to provide a triage system for cardiac patients throughout the region. Patients referred to the Institute are admitted through the Reference Centre,
• The heart Institute serves more than 1.5 milllion residents from Eastern and Northern Ontario and Western Quebec. It is the only quaternary adult cardiac facility between Montreal and Toronto.

What does the Heart Institute do ?

• In investigating and treating heart disease, the Heart Institute performs over 24,000 x-rays, 6,500 stress tests, 8,500 nuclear studies, 7,000 echocardiograms and 35,000 outpatient visits every year.
• The Heart Institute performs over 1,600 surgical procedures per year including transplants, valve replacements, and bypass surgeries to re-route blood around blocked vessels.
• Since the Heart Transplant program was started in May 1984, the Institute has performed more than 230 transplants.
• There are more than 650 staff, including 350 nurses, 75 medical staff, technicians, research and support staff. There are 8 cardiac surgeons, 24 cardiologist and 7 cardiac anaesthetists.
• The Heart Institute provides over 45,000 patient days of service per year. The Prevention ans Rehabilitation Centre performs more than 24,000 visits each year.

Who funds the Heart Institute and its program ?

• The Institute's clinical operation budget of $47 million is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Quebec government - funding for Quebec patients.
• The Heart Institute receives close to $9 million in external research support every year from industry, government, foundations, individuals, The Medical Research Council, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and others.
• Every year, the Heart Institute receives close to $2.5 million in financial support from the community, including corporate and private donations.

Did you know that ... ?

• 60% of Ottawa-Carleton adults have at least one major risk factor and 20% of adults have two to three major risk factors for heart disease ? In Ottawa-Carleton, approximately 1,200 people die of heart disease every year.