Posted on: December 19, 2023
Couldn't make the fantastic presentations by our three Evidence-into-Practice award-winners? Never fear! This Weekly series will share their projects and celebrate their successful translation of evidence into practice to improve quality and care.
Over the last two weeks, we've shared the work of:
- Bronze award-winners, the Palliative Outreach Resource Team
- Silver award-winner Lina Al-Sakran for enhanced palliative services in Cowichan.
And in case you missed any of our Knowledge-to-Action Month events, catch all the recordings on Vimeo.
(Dr. Winston's team during a visit from the Harvard Spaulding team at VGH)
This week, we celebrate gold award-winner (and three-time previous Evidence-into-Practice winner) Dr. Paul Winston (Medical Director, Rehabilitation and Transitions), who presented on “Cryoneurolysis for children and adults with pediatric onset of neurologic disability: Improving function and mobility & reducing dependence and pain."
Spasticity is a disorder of muscle movement that causes stiffness, pain, and disability. It's common in children with neurological disorders, affecting 60-70% of children with cerebral palsy, as well as those who suffer strokes, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.
The current standard of care for spasticity is botulinum toxin, which is costly and has to be injected four times a year. The existing evidence shows that children either need constant injections or major surgical events as their bodies grow. In the adult population, the evidence suggested that not many treatments improve function.
Dr. Winston and his team have created a novel treatment for children and adults with childhood onset of spasticity by freezing nerves to relax the affected muscles. This innovative procedure, called cryoneurolysis, typically lasts 1-2 years and may be permanent. They partnered with the pediatrics team to use nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and reduce pain for pediatric patients.
Watch the video to learn more!
Since 2018, the team has grown the Victoria Peripheral Nerve and Spasticity Clinic into an internationally-recognized centre for collaborative care, presenting their work at major conferences and training teams from all over the world, including Harvard and Oxford universities. The whole team includes:
- Dr. Mahdis Hashemi, Research Director
- Alexis Hampshire, Physiotherapist
- Dr. Daniel Vincent
- Dr Stephanie Muise
- Dr. Andrew Round
- Dr. Romain David, Research Fellow
- Co-op students including Laura Schatz, Abby Spiers, Izzy Morrissey
Congratulations to this year's winners, and thank you to all applicants and our reviewers. Stay tuned for next year's call for applications in September 2024.