KHSC hosts international cardiac training program

Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) recently hosted a group of physicians from South America who came to learn about the technology and methods we have in place for our complex cardiac cases. This international training session was the first of its kind for the cardiac program and won’t be the last.

“This was an exciting moment for our program to share the knowledge and experience that we have in Kingston on an international scale,” says Dr. Ben Glover, a cardiologist at KHSC and assistant professor of cardiology at Queen’s University. “This training session highlights the outstanding care that we provide and makes us one of only a few centres that are positioned to run this kind of training.”

For the physicians who visited from Argentina, the two-day session was well worth the travel.

“I think our visit has been amazing, we have learned more than we expected to during our visit here,” says Dr. Fernando Acazzuso, who is a cardiologist in Buenos Aires. “We have seen first-hand the high level of quality and personnel here and will bring the knowledge of how to use this technology back to Argentina to benefit our patients.”

The visit focused on learning about the cardiac technology in place at KHSC. Known as the Ensite Precision cardiac mapping system, KHSC is the first health sciences centre in North America to use this technology to treat cardiac patients. The cardiac mapping system provides highly detailed models and maps of the heart that allow physicians to diagnose a wide range of irregular heart rhythms. It also allows patients to heal faster, stop or reduce their use of medication, as well reduce the number of future hospital visits that they may require.

Feedback from the visit has been so positive that plans are already being made to continue hosting international physicians for the training sessions as much as three to four times a year. As well, cardiologists from KHSC will travel to South America to share knowledge and help with complex cardiac cases.

“This training session will not only benefit the patients in South America, but also shows our patients that in Kingston we’re at the forefront of technology for cardiac care,” says Glover. “This is a great display of confidence from the medical community that when patients come to KHSC for cardiac care, they are getting the best treatment possible.”