ON THE PULSE OF THE PROBLEM One of Calgary Health Foundation’s key organizational priorities is cardiac healthcare. It partners with donors and cardiac specialists to ensure Calgary has the most state-of-the- art technology, comprehensive programs, and patient care efforts available for the diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions. One such effort is the Catheterization Lab Redevelopment Project. In 2021, Calgary Health Foundation committed to raising funds to renovate Calgary’s six cath labs. Through the support of donors, the first cath lab renovation was completed in 2023. This is the same lab where McDonald’s cardiac team performed his angiogram and diagnosed his heart disease. Now the Foundation is raising money to renovate the next lab. Dr. Bryan Har, director of the FMC Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, explains the role of the labs. “We use cath labs to diagnose and
DR. BRYAN HAR Director of the Foothills Medical Centre Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
treat a host of conditions, including coronary disease, electrical issues with the heart, and heart valve abnormalities. Calgary’s cath labs, particularly at FMC, have a long history. We were the first centre in Canada to do angioplasty on coronary arteries as well as the first to perform interventional cardiology.” The opportunity to champion a program that offers dramatic advances in both heart and surgical care, another of Calgary Health Foundation’s priorities, meant the decision to support the Catheterization Lab to complete the project won’t be easy. At the time of publication, the cost to renovate a single lab was close to $4 million. But the return on that investment is clear. Har is quick to emphasize improved patient care as the main driver of the project. “As time goes on and there are advances in technologies and procedures, it’s crucial we stay on top of our cath lab renovations,” he says. “With renovated spaces, we can do newer procedures that weren’t available to us previously and improve the safety, accuracy, and speed of existing procedures.” Updated cath labs also help improve the patient experience through shorter hospital stays, shorter procedure wait times for outpatients, less invasive treatments, and faster recovery times. Redevelopment Project was easy. However, the fundraising needed “I feel like the luckiest guy you can imagine.” —Lanny McDonald
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Breakthroughs [ Fall 2025 ]
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