RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION

With the generosity of our donors, the QEII Foundation is raising $400,000 to bring a Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) system to the vascular surgery department at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

WHY YOU ARE NEEDED

Varicose veins are very common, often associated with aging. When those veins turn dangerous it is known as chronic venous disease (CVD) — affecting up to 50 per cent of adults, the majority of who identify as women.

When varicose veins become chronic venous disease, they can cause significant health issues which may result in very severe problems for people, ranging from chronic pain to open wounds that don't heal, as well as impacting their daily function, and potentially their careers.

What if there was a piece of technology which could provide CVD patients with a quick in-clinic procedure, instead of spending years on a waitlist for the surgical option? What if simple medical tools could save resources and alleviate extra stress on our province’s medical system and the healthcare teams who strive to deliver care and hope?

THE PROJECT

Introducing a Radiofrequency Ablation program to the QEII will help tackle chronic venous disease, which is considered an extremely underserved issue in vascular surgery. It will offer a minimally invasive procedure option to tackle problematic veins people deal with for years, alleviating their pain and increasing their quality of life.

Chronic venous disease develops when there is a failure of the superficial venous systems to return blood from the leg back up to the heart for oxygenation.

Radiofrequency ablation tackles this issue with a minimally invasive procedure where a doctor can insert a small catheter into the problem vein at knee level, which has a probe attached to a heat source. With ultrasound guidance and a local anesthetic, the heated probe is pulled back out of the vein, which burns it closed.

There are only two provinces in Canada which currently provide the RFA procedure within the public health care system — Saskatchewan and British Columbia. This means most people who need RFA seek out private clinics and need to pay out of pocket between $3,000 and $5,000 per leg, which is out of reach for most of the population.

Join the QEII Foundation to break down the barriers and help introduce radiofrequency ablation at the QEII, as one of the first provinces on Canada’s East Coast to offer this life-changing care to patients!

Pictured: Example of a Medtronic radiofrequency ablation system 

Your gift today will help bring the gold standard of venous care to the QEII and help thousands of Nova Scotians. Will you join us?  

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What donors will make possible

With the support of generous donors through our We Are campaign, investing in a radiofrequency ablation system at the QEII will:

Allow specialists to start dedicating one day a week in their practice to address those with chronic venous disease, getting them back to their life quicker – pain free.

Break down barriers for patients wanting radiofrequency ablation who can’t afford it in the private system, making care more equitable.

Reduce need for time spent waiting in already stressed operating room schedules.

Provide public health care access to RFA to the over 1,000 people on the CVD treatment waitlist.

RADIOFREQUENCY ABALTION

What donors will make possible