Skip to main content

Heart Failure

We oversee, fund and evaluate a range of services to diagnose and manage heart failure.
About

We plan, coordinate, monitor, fund and evaluate on a provincial level the following treatment services:
  • heart transplant
  • temporary hemodynamic support (IABP, ECMO, VAD) 
We lead and fund a provincial heart failure strategy, which aims to address the growing prevalence of heart failure and help decrease the burden of this condition on patients, health-care professionals and BC's health-care system. The mandate of the strategy includes:
  • Creating standardized heart failure resources for health care professionals, patients and families
  • Improving access to evidence-based heart failure resources for health care professional, patients and families
  • Standardizing heart failure care across the province
  • Facilitating patients' heart failure self-management
  • Improving access to heart failure diagnostics and heart failure specialist care
  • Facilitating shared care across the health care continuum

Access to heart failure diagnostics and specialist care is provided via 22 heart failure clinics across BC and at the provincial advanced heart failure program at St. Paul's Hospital.

Heart failure clinics

BC's five regional health authorities are responsible for leading their regional plan and providing access to heart failure clinics located in the community or in hospital.

Fraser Health

  • Abbotsford General Hospital
  • Jim Pattison Outpatient Heart Function Clinic (Surrey)
  • Ridge Meadows Hospital Heart Function Clinic (Maple Ridge)
  • Royal Columbian Hospital Heart Function Clinic (New Westminster)

Interior Health

  • Cranbrook / Kimberly Heart Function Clinic
  • Kamloops Heart Function Clinic
  • Kelowna Heart Function Clinic
  • Penticton Integrated Health Centre Heart Function Clinic
  • Trail/Nelson Kiro Wellness Centre Heart Function Clinic
  • Vernon Heart Function Clinic

Island Health

  • Campbell River Heart Function Clinic
  • Nanaimo Heart Function Clinic
  • Victoria Heart Function Clinic

Northern Health

  • Fraser Lake Chronic Disease Management/Heart Function Clinic
  • Kitimat Chronic Disease Management/Heart Function Clinic
  • Prince George Heart Function Clinic
  • Prince Rupert Chronic Disease Management/Heart Function Clinic
  • Terrace Chronic Disease Management/Heart Function Clinic
  • Valemount Chronic Disease Management/Heart Function Clinic
  • Vanderhoof Chronic Disease Management/Heart Function Clinic

Vancouver Coastal Health

  • St. Paul's Hospital Heart Function Clinic
  • Vancouver General Hospital Heart Function Clinic

The Heart Failure & Transplant programs in the Heart Centre at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver provide specialized services including:

  • Ventricular assist device (VAD) as a bridge to heart transplantation (funded by Cardiac Services BC)
  • Heart transplantation (coordinated and funded by BC Transplant)
Program highlights

More than 90,000 British Columbians live with heart failure; a number expected to double by 2030. Heart failure is one of the most expensive chronic diseases in BC with an annual estimated cost to the health care system of $590 million.

In 2010, we led the development of a provincial heart failure strategy. Health authorities deliver quality services through regional heart failure clinics with coordinated access to specialized services such as transplantation. Cardiac Services BC provides provincial monitoring and evaluation of services.

As part of the BC heart failure strategy, we have developed practice resources and guidelines for health care professionals, as well as resources for patients about disease management, living with heart failure and medications. Heart failure diagnostics and chronic disease management have also been standardized across BC.

Phase II of BC's heart failure strategy builds on this success, adding focus on optimizing heart failure care in other settings, such as in primary care, emergency/ acute care, residential and home/community care settings. In partnership with the five regional health authorities, Cardiac Services BC continues to lead and fund the strategy. 

Procedure volumes

In 2014, BC Transplant funded 22 heart transplants. In support of patients waiting for transplants, in 2014/15 Cardiac Services BC funded:

  • 20 procedures for ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation

We monitor multiple aspects of heart disease and health system statistics in BC, including wait times and patient outcomes for these procedures.

Tab Heading
SOURCE: Heart Failure ( )
Page printed: . Unofficial document if printed. Please refer to SOURCE for latest information.

Copyright © Cardiac Services BC. All Rights Reserved.

    Copyright © 2023 Provincial Health Services Authority.