(Left to right) Respiratory Therapist Tom Fisher, Dr. Christine D’Arsigny and Dr. Michael Taylor.
A $35,000 gift from the YGK Healthcare Champions will help support safer, more consistent care for vulnerable Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) while giving health-care teams more time to provide more hands-on care.
The funds were presented on Sept. 30 at KHSC to Dr. Christine D’Arsigny, Dr. Michael Taylor and Respiratory Therapist Tom Fisher. The grant will be used to purchase 12 CuffGuard devices that automatically regulate the pressure in the cuffs of endotracheal and tracheostomy tubes which are used by patients who require breathing support from ventilators.
“Anything that can save health-care workers time is a good thing,” said Heather Shortall, a member of the YGK Healthcare Champions Executive Committee. “We know there’s so many patients for hospital staff to care for, so we are happy to fund anything that makes the job for doctors and nurses a little easier.”
The cuffs help seal a patient’s airway and play a vital role in maintaining the correct pressure. If the pressure is too low, bacteria and secretions can enter the lungs. If it is too high, it can damage delicate airway tissue.
Currently, cuff pressure is manually checked several times a day by ICU staff. But pressure can fluctuate throughout the day as patients move or experience changes in fluid levels.
CuffGuard devices can continuously monitor and regulate the pressure, reducing the need for frequent manual checks. That means ICU team members can spend less time on repetitive monitoring and more time providing hands-on care to patients.
“It's impossible to have a staff member manually checking the pressure constantly,” Dr. Taylor said. “So, one of the advantages of these devices is to completely eliminate the manpower required. Hopefully, that means improved patient outcomes and also decreases the amount of work ICU staff need to do.”
The team plans to start using the devices within the next couple of months and will collect data to evaluate their impact at KHSC.
From a night of music to better patient care
The $35,000 was raised at the June 20 Banding Together concert at The Broom Factory hosted by the YGK Healthcare Champions.
Featuring Old Docs New Tricks, a band made up of local physicians who performed rock covers, the event brought together music lovers, health-care supporters and members of the community for an evening of live music, food and dancing.
But the impact of that night will continue long after the last song was played.
Through the generosity of everyone who attended, sponsored or donated, a night built around music is helping bring new technology to the ICU and giving health-care teams another tool to support critically ill patients.
It’s an example of how community philanthropy can turn an evening of connection and celebration into meaningful improvements in patient care.
The YGK Healthcare Champions are a group of community leaders who come together to support KHSC and Providence Care. Members learn about health-care needs and opportunities, while organizing fundraising events that help advance care in our community. Since 2020, the group has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local health-care projects.
Become a YGK Healthcare Champion
Want to help band together for better health care in our community? Join the YGK Healthcare Champions and help turn community connections into meaningful investments in care at KHSC and Providence Care. For $20 a month, your membership can help create better care for the people who need it most.
To learn more about becoming a YGK Healthcare Champion, visit their website or call UHKF at 613-549-5452.