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RESPIRATORY RESEARCH
Better Research, Better Health
TB Vets is dedicated to funding Canadian research and programs that will help improve the quality of life of individuals with respiratory challenges.
Whatever else may be wrong, overall health is affected (and survival is in question) when a patient can’t breathe. Innovative respiratory research helps improve public health in the long term and advancements made can positively impact societies in a global scale.
Professorship in Respiratory Care
Thanks to generous donors, TB Vets Charitable Foundation is committing $120,000 over the next three years to support the newly established TB Vets Charitable Foundation Professorship in Respiratory Care at Simon Fraser University (SFU). In partnership with the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, this professorship will fund the research of Dr. Elizabeth Rohrs, a respiratory therapist turned researcher.
Dr. Rohrs aims to improve the process of weaning patients off mechanical ventilation, which currently poses significant challenges. About 30% of patients struggle to wean, leading to respiratory muscle weakness, ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), and increased risks of multi-organ failure and death. Her research will explore how brain-muscle coordination impacts weaning and aims to identify early signs of failure to prevent patient harm. Starting April 1st at SFU, Dr. Rohrs and her team will study critically ill patients to advance weaning techniques and transform patient care.
Targeted TB Prevention: Assess Your Risk and Help Stop the Spread
TB Vets is committed to advancing tuberculosis (TB) care in BC and around the world. An estimated one in four people carry TB infection, but most show no symptoms and cannot spread the disease. However, 5 to 10 percent will eventually develop active TB, which is highly contagious and dangerous. Early screening and treatment are critical, but current testing is costly and imprecise.
To address this, Dr. James Johnston of Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control is developing a web-based tool to assess individual TB risk based on factors like time spent in Canada, age, and country of origin. This innovative tool will help doctors and policymakers target those most at risk, enabling early detection and preventative treatment to stop the spread of TB.
Mechanical Ventilation
In the ICU, mechanical ventilation is relied upon to keep patients alive. It is complex and extremely costly. The longer a patient is on mechanical ventilation, the more the diaphragm (the primary muscle involved in breathing) weakens. The more the muscle weakens, the less likely it is that the patient will ever be able to breathe on their own again.
ICU patients on ventilation will have improved chances if they can be weaned faster, decreasing the risk of ventilator-induced lung injury and other life-threatening complications such as pneumonia and infection.
Dr. Steve Reynolds, Site Medical Director at Royal Columbian Hospital / Simon Fraser University (RCH/SFU) leads the research on this current health situation.
Dr. Reynolds also works with a team to advance the Lungpace Diaphragm System, a medical device designed to activate and exercise the diaphragm by using a temporary, minimally invasive, transvascular nerve stimulation catheter. The technology is expected to save many lives and greatly reduce hospital care costs.
Tuberculosis
In 1882, the cause of tuberculosis (TB) was discovered. Fast forward to 2022, the disease remains a respiratory health crisis. On average, TB kills more than 1.5 million people worldwide each year, even though it is preventable and curable.
TB Vets supports the TB Research Program led by Dr. Yossef Av-Gay at Vancouver General Hospital / University of British Columbia (VGH/UBC).
“TB Vets’ support enables me and my team to better understand how TB behaves, how some drugs affect the way it spreads and develop new drugs with exciting potential. TB Vets’ support ensures that one day TB will be eradicated,” explains Dr. Av-Gay.
The program is considered to be one of the leading TB research laboratories in the world.
TB Recreation Therapy
Along with TB research, TB Vets has funding in place for the Recreation Therapy of isolated TB patients in Vancouver General Hospital. It is the only program of its kind in Canada.
Being treated for TB is often a long and lonely experience. Imagine 6 to 24 months of staying indoors, away from family and friends. Without a source of personal enjoyment and relaxation, the experience would take a toll on the mental and emotional health of a person.
TB Vets donors help support patient comforts as well as the funding of a dedicated Recreation Therapist (a role currently held by Ms. Courtney Knight), who helps assess patients and carries out tailored plans that benefit their cognitive, social and emotional well-being.
