Southlake Regional Health Centre has had a two-decade-long journey to electrifying advancements in cardiac care.
In many ways, the heart works like a machine. Though it may not have circuitry and wires, electrical currents and pulses are still used to keep rhythm and sustain life. It can also malfunction and cause serious issues just like any other machine.
That’s why Dr. Yaariv Khaykin, an electrophysiologist at the Newmarket hospital, likes to refer to himself and his colleagues by a name that captures their role in helping this vital organ beat as it should — electricians of the heart.
“Just like an electrician does with a TV or an air conditioner, we spend our days locating and repairing short circuits or wiring flaws that can cause a heart to glitch or even crash completely,” explains Dr. Khaykin. “One of the most prevalent glitches we come across at Southlake is atrial fibrillation. Though we were once underserved in this area, our team has spent the last 20 years working to amplify our capabilities and reduce the impact of this condition throughout the region.”
A common type of arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AFib) occurs when stress or inflammation causes the heart’s upper chambers to dilate and stretch over time, leading to irregular and often rapid heartbeats. The associated risks are severe, including stroke, heart failure and even death. One of the most effective treatments for this condition is ablation, in which a catheter delivers targeted energy to help restore the heart's normal rhythm.
When Dr. Khaykin joined Southlake in 2004, the hospital was unequipped to manage this type of specialized care due to limited space and resources. Facing rising demand, longer wait times and more complicated care challenges, he knew the hospital needed to change and innovate to ensure patients could access the leading-edge care they needed close to home.
“At the time, only a few hospitals offered these complex ablation procedures, and all of them were in downtown Toronto. Not only would patients have to travel far from home, but they could be waiting upwards of a year before being seen," says Dr. Khaykin. "With an electrophysiology program right here at Southlake, it was our vision to offer these life-changing procedures locally and without the long waits.”
Alongside his colleague, Dr. Zaev Wulffhart, Dr. Khaykin opened the doors on the hospital’s first electrophysiology program in 2004 — a pivotal milestone in Southlake's 100-year history. The program had humble beginnings, navigating the space constraints of what was still a small community hospital at the time.
The team shared the only available diagnostic space, performing Southlake’s first-ever ablations overnight and at nearly four hours each. The program only began to gain momentum later that year when a new hospital building added three new cath labs to Southlake, including one dedicated to electrophysiology.
Now 20 years later, Southlake’s electrophysiology program has become a key strength in the hospital’s catalogue of lifesaving services and a vital part of the province’s fourth-largest regional cardiac program. By 2015, capacity had nearly doubled thanks to the addition of three new electrophysiology labs on the hospital’s first floor, with the 2009 opening of the PACE clinic freeing up much-needed space by taking over non-acute patient care.
As the program has grown and evolved, so too has its output. Though they could only perform 50 ablations in that first year, this number rose quickly with dedicated space and additional personnel, reaching 150 in the next year alone. Today, the team completes ablations for more than 700 atrial fibrillation patients annually while maintaining the lowest wait times in Ontario at just two to three months.
Since launching the program, Southlake has continued to lead the charge in innovating AFib care through advancements in technology and research. Southlake participated in a world-first 3D ultrasound mapping of the heart without radiation, while Dr. Khaykin was one of the first doctors in Canada to use the Medtronic ablation frontiers catheter system, designed to deliver faster procedures with less radiation. Southlake’s own Dr. Atul Verma, who has led several clinical trials into new technologies, has also pioneered the use of pulsed field ablation globally, leading to safer and more effective arrhythmia treatments for patients.
At the same time, Southlake has also expanded its efforts to treat AFib beyond the hospital walls, bringing targeted prevention and management into the community. Through virtual wellness coaching, video webinars and an online resource hub, the team helps patients self-manage their risk factors and promotes healthy lifestyles, while ongoing research, training and knowledge sharing means Southlake is advancing the field overall.
While this step-by-step expansion of a world-class electrophysiology program to tackle AFib in our communities has hit its stride, Dr. Khaykin remains committed to keeping it growing for the future.
“We need to continue our leadership in these areas for the sake of our community. As we’ve seen in our interactions with patients over the years, Southlake has built a high level of trust that we need to maintain, even as we come across new challenges to delivering quality care. By advancing the capabilities of our program through constant innovation and collaboration, we can continue to set new and higher standards for cardiac care close to home."
Over the last 20 years, Southlake has continued to be a leader in cardiac care, ensuring that when patients from Muskoka to North York have access to the care they need. The electricians of the heart are innovators and will continue to innovate well into the future.
For 100 years and counting, Southlake has built healthy communities through leading edge care with an unwavering pride for people, place and performance. To celebrate its centennial anniversary, Southlake is revisiting some of its hallmark stories and achievements over the years through the Southlake Centennial series. Learn more about Southlake’s esteemed history and how they’re celebrating throughout the year at www.southlake.ca.
