St. Paul's Hospital

Success morphs St. Paul's Hospital's AIDS ward

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, right, embraces Dr. Julio Montaner, director for the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, after announcing the dedicated AIDS ward at St. Paul's Hospital would no longer just treat patients with HIV/AIDS because of a lack of demand due to the success of the centre, during a news conference in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday May 27, 2014.

A Vancouver hospital ward once so stigmatized it was only referred to by code name has been transformed from an AIDS-dedicated centre now the illness has been “virtually controlled” in the province.

St. Paul’s Hospital in the city’s core is repurposing the floor that nursing staff would only identify as “10C,” because of a near-elimination of AIDS cases in British Columbia and the associated drop in need for high-maintenance HIV care.

St. Paul’s Hospital performs first new non-invasive heart surgery

A new non-invasive heart surgery is being considered a breakthrough for people who previously had no treatment options available.

There is a new procedure available for the one-in-10 people over the age of 75 with the heart condition “mitral regurgitation,” which is a leaking valve in the heart.

St. Paul’s Hospital performs groundbreaking 1,000th heart valve procedure

St. Paul’s Hospital is celebrating a milestone in a medical procedure it pioneered a decade ago.

The procedure allows for the replacement of a patient’s heart valve, without open heart surgery, by using a catheter.

The procedure is relatively painless, patients recover quickly, and many remain awake for the entire procedure. They are also able to go home one day after the operation.

Today, the hospital performed that surgery for the 1,000th time, live on video to a large gathering of medical specialists in downtown Vancouver.

VPD issue warning after increase in all addiction-related emergency room visits at St. Paul's Hospital

Police are warning drug users to be “extremely cautious” after seven people were reported to have overdosed on heroin Tuesday.

The suspected overdoses occurred in the Downtown Eastside, according to a news release from Sgt. Randy Fincham, a VPD spokesman.

The warning urged users to inject at Insite, where there are medical personnel on hand.

“If you are a drug user who has used and don’t feel well, seek medical attention or help immediately,” he said.

Fincham asked anyone who sees someone in medical distress to call 911.

Matthew Robinson Reports

B.C. woman left waiting in agony over bladder treatment referral

A Port Coquitlam woman in severe pain says she wishes she would die, after waiting months to be treated for complications arising from bladder surgery.

Shalini Narayan had a bladder lift procedure at St. Paul's Hospital in January after undergoing a hysterectomy, but was left in constant agony afterwards. 

After being referred to B.C. Women's Hospital pelvic pain clinic, Narayan received a letter last month saying she is not eligible for treatment there because there were complications with the mesh used to lift her bladder.

Safeguards in place to protect babies from abduction in Vancouver hospitals

After a baby was stolen from a Quebec maternity ward Monday, many are wondering what systems are in place to ensure something similar doesn’t happen here.

Health authorities have been reluctant to get into too much detail about their security systems, but Vancouver Coastal Health has given a few examples of safeguards their facilities have in place.

St. Paul’s Hospital has locked doors in the maternity area, and nurses can see people wanting to enter on video before granting access.

Martin MacMahon Reports

Dr. Anson Cheung, Professor of Surgery and Director of Cardiac Transplant at St. Paul's Hospital discusses transcatheter Tiara implantations

Neovasc Inc. (“Neovasc” or the “Company”), a developer of novel technologies to treat vascular disease, reported that the first results from early clinical experience with its Tiara™  prosthetic mitral valve were presented today at EuroPCR 2014, the annual meeting of the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions.

Excellent Early Experience Reported With Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Valve by St. Paul's Doctor John Webb

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, today announced that the first data on its most advanced commercially available transcatheter aortic heart valve, the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve, were presented in a late-breaking clinical trial session at EuroPCR 2014 by John Webb, M.D., director of interventional cardiology and cardiac catheterization laboratories at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, and professor of cardiology at the University of British Columbia.

New supportive-housing site set to open across from St. Paul's Hospital

Tenants are expected to begin moving in by the end of this month to the newest of 14 supportive-housing projects planned for the city.

The Kettle on Burrard, operated by the Kettle Society, is a 16-storey, 141-unit housing complex located across the street from St. Paul’s Hospital.

The building will house people who have been homeless, living in single-room occupancy hotels, or at risk of homelessness.

Yolande Cole Reports

St. Paul's nurse thanked with fudge delivery during National Nursing Week

One way to say thanks is with a 240-pound fudge delivery.

That’s what organ transplant recipients gave to nurses throughout the province Tuesday during an annual act of gratitude for National Nursing Week.

Last year the patients delivered popcorn, but this year a much stickier present was delivered.

Wynne Chiu, transplant nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital, said her fudge was delivered without incident.

“I’m not quite sure how much, but there’s a significant amount of fudge in our office right now,” Chiu said with a chuckle.

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