Hamiliton General Hospital opens first-of-it's-kind clinic for patients with mechanical heart valves

Añadido: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]A new clinic at Hamilton Health Sciences promises to be a one-stop shop for patients with mechanical heart valves.

[00:00:06]>> As our health reporter, Pauline Chan, tells us, it's the first of its kind here in Canada.

[00:00:12]So, I was born with a defect in my heart. It's called a a bicuspid aortic valve. Three years ago, Amanda Foster got a mechanical heart valve and was put on warfarin, a common blood thinner. It is a concern to me to take it because you think of it as like a poison.

[00:00:28]But, it is actually helping me. But, warfarin can be tricky for patients to manage. So, this puts them at risk of blood clots on their heart valve, um, possible stroke, um, or bleeding complications, including severe bleeding, like bleeding into the stomach or the brain. Too much leads to bleeding, too little can cause clots, leading to a stroke like Amanda had last December. So, she was recommended for the new mechanical heart valve clinic at Hamilton Health. They're seeing um, myself as a a specialist thrombosis or blood thinner pharmacist and my physician colleague, who focus on their blood thinner management. And they also see a cardiologist that focuses on other valve-related issues and their cardiovascular health. They can also bring in a neurologist if the patient has a history of stroke and a surgeon if additional surgeries might be needed. I have gotten so much help from their thrombosis team. They really do help you navigate through everything and you can contact them at any time. Amanda says she especially appreciates having all the specialists under one roof and it's also a place where patients can get access to and participate in leading-edge research. Pauline Chan, CTV News.