Rotary donation will help hospital deliver care to more kids close to home

A $44,350 donation from the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie will help the Sault Area Hospital (SAH) buy two sets of paediatric laparoscopic surgical instruments.

The Sault Area Hospital Foundation says the tools allow the hospital to deliver more precise care for kids close to home.

“While most specialized paediatric surgeries are planned ahead and supported by hospitals who specialize in this care, there are times where local children need emergency surgery – most commonly, appendectomies (removal of the appendix),” the foundation explained in a news release. 

Laparoscopic tools are used in minimally invasive surgeries, a standard practice for many procedures.

Rather than operate through one large incision, surgeons are able to make several small incisions, resulting in less pain, fewer complications and faster recovery time for patients. 

“Because the patients are smaller, paediatric laparoscopic instruments are much smaller – only 20 cm long, compared to the adult-sized laparoscopic surgical instruments which are 33 cm long,” said Ryan Crozier, the business analyst for the hospital’s surgical program. “These small instruments are simply miniature versions of the same instruments we use on adults."

"They allow the surgeon a much more precise, tactile feel. This ensures our surgical staff can deliver emergency care to young patients in our community.” 

The foundation adds having these tools available can also make SAH more attractive to newly graduated surgeons, who trained with these methods.

Over the past few decades the Rotary Club has given over $250,000 to support local care at SAH.

Last year’s donation helped to purchase a paediatric safety bed. 

Approximately one in three children in the Algoma district were seen in the hospital’s emergency department last year, with some requiring emergency surgery.