Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) was very proud to officially introduce its Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) service to the community this past November. This medical technology is essential for the assessment and management of many different gastrointestinal diseases and has growing uses as a diagnostic, and therapeutic tool. CMH is currently the only hospital within the Region of Waterloo and Wellington County to offer this service.
“Endoscopic Ultrasound will have a significant impact on our patients,” said Dr. Dan Kottachchi, Gastroenterologist. “It is underutilized in Ontario, so we’re excited to have it at our hospital. EUS is an important diagnostic tool with huge benefits when staging cancers. Hard to reach organs can be biopsied and we can even remove smaller lesions without having to send the patient to surgery. The combination of both a high-definition camera with high-resolution ultrasound images provides us with the means to offer more to the patient by way of diagnosis, treatment and even pain relief for enhanced palliative care.”
CMH’s EUS service started accepting referrals in October 2022. When the idea was first brought up, it was expected that the clinic would get up to five referrals per week. Instead, the demand was much higher, seeing 12 or more patients during clinic days.
“We want to grow our services so that we can offer the highest level of care to our community. Before acquiring this technology, patients had to go to Oakville, Mississauga and further even. Having the Endoscopic Ultrasound service at our hospital should reduce the burden of travel for about 450 people in a given year,” said Dr. Augustin Nguyen, Chief of Medicine at CMH.
The timing of this service could not have been better for patient Brendon Mendoca, who was diagnosed with cancer just weeks after CMH’s EUS service started. “I found out about my diagnosis on a Monday and eight days later, I'm getting one of the more important tests conducted,” Mendoca said. “I just want to thank all the people that were involved because to the people that need it, it's huge. I wasn't in this situation a week ago, but now it's something that I need. You never meet the people that helped to get it in place, but I just want to thank everybody involved.”
The EUS service was the reward of collaborative work amongst many internal and external partners, including the hospital’s Laboratory. It sought a unique partnership to send specimens to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, one of a few Laboratories in Ontario that specializes in analyzing specimens collected from EUS.
"The introduction of this service aligns with our new vision to create healthier communities together, said Patrick Gaskin, President and CEO of CMH. "It's part of our strategic plan to advance health equity and bring care closer to home, especially for people that do not have the means to travel for their care. I’m very proud of our team’s efforts to enhance partnerships and bring together the expertise, funding and tools, ensuring the highest quality care experience for our patients."