Reducing Wait Times for Life-Saving Heart Tests
Published Monday, September 14, 2026
Dallon Lamarche, RCT/ECG Practice Lead, with the donor-funded ECG machine at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Made possible in part by Thunder Bay 50/50 ticket purchases, the machine continues to help reduce wait times and support timely diagnosis for cardiac patients.
When someone arrives at the Emergency Department with symptoms of a heart attack, every minute counts.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the most important tools doctors use to identify some of the most serious types of heart attack.
Supporting that care every day is donor-funded ECG equipment that continues to support faster patient care throughout the Hospital.
"Every minute counts when dealing with a potential heart attack," said Dallon Lamarche, RCT/ECG Practice Lead at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. "The primary focus is rapid diagnosis and timely treatment to improve patient outcomes."
While doctors use several methods to help diagnose a heart attack, including a patient's history, symptoms, blood tests, physical examination, and clinical observation, an ECG remains the fastest and most effective way to detect certain types of heart attacks that require immediate treatment.
Today, ECGs are used throughout the Hospital, including the Emergency Department, Cath Lab, Intensive Care Unit, 2C Cardiology Unit, Cancer Centre, and Renal Program. ECG technicians perform approximately 4,500 ECGs every month throughout the Hospital, more than 55,000 each year.
As ECG capacity has increased, four ECG carts are now available to cover the entire Hospital. Along with an additional ECG technician shift during busy periods, this has helped reduce wait times and ensure patients can be checked within minutes of needing an ECG.
Thank you for supporting the Health Sciences Foundation through donations, Foundation events, and Thunder Bay 50/50 ticket purchases. Your generosity continues to help healthcare teams diagnose heart attacks faster when every minute counts.