Expanding specialized cardiac care
Oak Valley Health has applied to become a Type II Pacemaker Centre, a designation that would allow Markham Stouffville Hospital to implant pacemakers.
“As our communities continue to grow, so does the need for specialized cardiac care close to home,” says Director of Diagnostic Imaging Jean Nash.
“The success of our Cardiac Device Clinic reflects both the demand for these services and the impact they have on patients and families. Becoming a Type II Pacemaker Centre would allow us to provide a more complete continuum of cardiac device care, from implantation through ongoing monitoring and follow-up, right here at Markham Stouffville Hospital,” she says.
The clinic is taking steps to expand access to specialized pacemaker care after meeting its first-year patient targets. During its first reporting year (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026), it met the provincial requirement of 200 annual follow-up patients as a Type III Pacemaker Centre – a number that demonstrates strong demand for local cardiac device services.
The proposed expansion comes as the region continues to experience significant population growth and an increasing number of older adults, who are more likely to require cardiac device care, Oak Valley Health reports.
Since 2022/2023, more than 100 patients per year have been referred to other hospitals for pacemaker, cardiac resynchronization therapy or defibrillator procedures. By offering pacemaker implantation locally, Oak Valley Health would reduce travel time for patients and caregivers while helping capacity at advanced cardiac centres.
Already, the clinic has expanded services to inpatients and plans to increase operations from one clinic day per week to two, add MRI capability and welcome two new cardiac device specialists trained through a partnership with Unity Health Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital. Those enhancements will create a more complete continuum of cardiac device care, allowing patients to receive monitoring, follow-up care, and, ultimately, pacemaker implantation closer to home, Oak Valley Health notes.
Photo of the Cardiac Device Clinic team at Markham Stouffville Hospital courtesy of Oak Valley Health.