As a Level 2 vascular centre serving a regional population of 600,000, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is ready to raise its level of excellence in vascular care with a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room (OR). It’s a $6 million priority of the Campaign for PRHC that’s essential to patient care and donors can help bring it to our hospital.

Vascular disease is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in Canada. Patients often face multiple serious conditions at once, requiring complex, time-sensitive care. Each year, experts at PRHC perform more than 1,000 vascular procedures, with nearly three-quarters of patients travelling from outside Peterborough City and County to receive care at PRHC. For these patients and their families, timely access to advanced surgical care close to home is vital—preventing strokes and loss of limbs.

Now, patients who need multiple vascular procedures undergo each one and its recovery separately. If there will be a need for real-time medical imaging during surgery, the range of procedures that can be performed is limited due to the image quality of the current onsite diagnostic tools. This results in patients being referred to other hospitals where they’ll wait longer to receive the care they need.

An alternative exists: A hybrid OR combines a fully equipped surgical suite with advanced medical imaging in one, bigger space. There, specialized teams can perform multiple open and minimally invasive procedures in one surgical session with access to high resolution imaging. But PRHC is one of only a handful of Ontario’s Level 2 vascular centres without a hybrid OR. When having one is the standard of care, not having it means challenges recruiting surgeons who’ve trained on the technology and sending patients elsewhere for care, putting patients and PRHC’s vascular program at risk.

“In medical school I had access to a hybrid OR. It allows me to operate on patients safely, with extreme precision,” says Dr. Sajjid Hossain, PRHC vascular surgeon. “In vascular surgery, technology isn’t optional. It’s essential to care. A lot of the time patients come to us in life-threatening scenarios where minutes matter. Being able to access state-of-the-art imaging and advanced technologies is a difference between saving a life, saving a limb, or losing both. This is what vascular surgery should be.”

PRHC agrees and has self-funded the creation of the space in the hospital building to enable the hybrid OR. The PRHC Foundation is committed to raising the $6 million needed to outfit the space with its cutting-edge equipment.

“A hybrid OR is vital for the future of patient care at PRHC,” says Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO. “Donor support will ensure patients from across our region can receive their lifesaving care close to home.” A hybrid OR will also help reduce patient wait times and help treat more patients, safely and efficiently, with better results. 

For Dr. Hossain and PRHC, the need is clear. But he realizes it can’t be resolved without support from generous donors. “When I came to Peterborough, I learned that crucial equipment and technology is funded by donors. That was eye-opening. Since then I’ve been regularly surprised and touched by the generosity of this community,” says Dr. Hossain. “People here really stand behind their healthcare professionals. Thank you so much.”

For more information or to donate, please call 705-876-5000 or click here.