Evidence of meeting #8 for Subcommittee on Neurological Disease in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was treatment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Kirsty Duncan
Thank you, Dr. Beaudet.
I think we have about three minutes left for a quick question.
Monsieur Malo.
12:55 p.m.
Bloc
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
I would just like to try to see how we can decide whether this procedure is safe. In his brief, Dr. Simka told us that he has examined 400 cases and his conclusion is that the procedure is safe.
Dr. Beaudet, in answer to Mr. Brown's question, you said that studies would need to be done to determine if the procedure is safe.
I am just wondering if we can believe that what Dr. Simka said is scientifically recognized as safe or, as you seem to be suggesting, if something else needs to be done to determine if the procedure is safe.
12:55 p.m.
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Mr. Malo, you are putting a balloon into a blood vessel, a vein with a weak wall, and enlarging that vein. Is the procedure 100% safe? I know of no procedure, even eating natural food, that is 100% safe.
The question we must ask ourselves with any procedure is whether the benefits outweigh the risks. That is what we want to find out. We want to make sure that the benefits associated with this procedure significantly outweigh the risks inherent in any procedure. That is evidence-based practice.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Kirsty Duncan
Would Dr. Simka, Dr. Maggisano, or Dr. Zamboni like to respond? And then, I think, we're going to have to say thank you to everybody.
12:55 p.m.
Medical Doctor, Vascular Surgeon, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, As an Individual
Venoplasty has been used in our hospitals in Canada as a treatment modality probably for the last 25 years. As was suggested, no treatment is 100% safe, but it's a minimalistic type of procedure that we use routinely, both in the arteries and in the veins.
I think if the issue is the potential benefit against the potential risk, there's minimal, minimal risk to venoplasty and/or venous stenting from a medical perspective, compared to the potential benefit for a chronic MS patient who would have improved life quality.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Kirsty Duncan
Thank you, Dr. Maggisano.
First of all, I'd like to thank all of our experts, particularly those who are available from overseas and from Toronto, for their testimony and for their time and effort.
And I'd like to thank everybody who came here today.
The meeting is adjourned.