The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Pembroke Regional Hospital is celebrating an important milestone with the recent introduction of a new clinical skill that significantly enhances care for the region’s most critically ill patients.

 

The ICU team is now fully trained and equipped to perform proning - a highly specialized therapeutic technique used for patients experiencing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) or severe respiratory failure.

 

Proning involves carefully positioning a deeply sedated, mechanically ventilated patient face‑down for extended periods, typically 16 hours at a time over several days. This positioning helps to expand lung regions, reduce pressure on the lungs, and enhance oxygen delivery, making it a vital intervention in critical care.

The technique is a complex and delicate intervention that requires a coordinated multidisciplinary team, detailed planning, and constant vigilance to ensure patient safety.

 

This includes a team of six people, the number required to prone and de-prone and a team of three to reposition the patient’s head and arms every two hours while proned.

 

Until now, any patient requiring proning would have had to be transferred to Ottawa to receive this level of care. However, thanks to extensive training and support from nursing, our intensivists, health care aides, our education team, respiratory therapy, allied health, pharmacy, food services, and the broader critical care team, patients can now receive this advanced treatment right here at home.

 

Dr. Natalie Needham-Nethercott, ICU Lead Physician, says the benefits of offering proning locally cannot be overstated.

 

“Proning is an evidence‑based intervention that can be lifesaving for patients with severe respiratory failure. However, its survival benefits are greatest if adopted early in patients with severe adult respiratory distress syndrome. Having this capability within our own ICU means that we can intervene quickly and avoid unnecessary delays. This practice change reaffirms our team’s commitment to provide exceptional care that adheres to best practice and evidence-based medicine.”

 

The team completed their first patient proning on February 5th, marking a major advancement in the hospital’s critical care program. Staff described the moment as both rewarding and deeply meaningful - an example of teamwork and expertise coming together to elevate the standard of care for the region’s most vulnerable patients.

 

Hospital President and CEO Sabine Mersmann says this achievement reflects the organization’s ongoing commitment to expanding high‑quality care for the community.

 

“Introducing proning in our ICU is a significant step forward for our hospital and for the patients we serve. It means families can remain close to home during some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and it reflects the skill, dedication, and innovation of our entire critical care team. We are incredibly proud of the work that has brought this important capability to our hospital.”

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carolyn Levesque, Public Affairs and Communication Coordinator

Pembroke Regional Hospital

(613) 732-3675, extension 6165 / carolyn.levesque@prh.ca