Toronto General Hospital

Toronto General Hospital
University Health Network
Geography
Location	Downtown Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Organization
Care system	Medicare
Hospital type	Teaching
Affiliated university	University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
Patron	Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Services
Emergency department	Yes
Beds	471
Speciality	Cardiology and Transplantation
History
Founded	1812
Links
Website	http://www.uhn.ca/corporate/AboutUHN/OurHospitals/TGH

The Toronto General Hospital (TGH), is a major teaching hospital in downtown Toronto, Ontario, and a part of the University Health Network. It is located in the Discovery District, directly north of the Hospital for Sick Children, across Gerrard Street West, and east of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Mount Sinai Hospital, across University Avenue. They are steps from Queen's Park and the Queen's Park subway station. The hospital serves as a teaching hospital for the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

The emergency department now treats 28,065 persons each year, while the hospital also houses the major transplantation service for Ontario, performing heart, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas and small intestine, amongst others, for patients referred from all over Canada. The hospital is the largest organ transplant center in Canada. The world's first single and double lung transplants were performed at TGH in 1983 and 1986. The world's first valve-sparing aortic root replacement was done by Dr. Tirone David at Toronto General Hospital in 1992.^[1] In 2015, surgeons performed the world's first triple organ transplant (lung, liver and pancreas) in 19 year old Reid Wylie at Toronto General Hospital.^[2] TGH teaches resident physicians, nurses, and technicians, and conducts research through the Toronto General Research Institute.

Currently, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as a member of the Canadian Royal Family, is patron of the hospital.

History

The Toronto General Hospital as it appeared in 1895

Toronto General Hospital main entrance

The hospital started as a small shed in the old town and was used as a British Army military hospital during the War of 1812, after which it was founded as a permanent institution – York General Hospital – in 1829, at John and King Streets (now home to Bell Lightbox). In 1855 a new home for the hospital was built on the north side of Gerrard Street, east of Parliament, using a design by architect William Hay. In 1913, the hospital moved to its current location, since expanding and upgrading over the ensuing years. The 1913 structure, previously called the College Wing, was eventually sold by the hospital, to become the home of the MaRS Discovery District after a new wing for the TGH was completed and opened in 2002.

Multi-organ transplantation

Liver - The University Health Network, performed 141 Liver Transplants with 32 of those living donor transplants in 2011 making the program the largest in Canada, top 10 in North America and the largest living donor transplant unit in the Western world.^[3]

Peter Munk Cardiac Centre

Peter Munk Cardiac Centre

Toronto General Hospital is the home of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, which is one of the largest open heart centers in Canada and is ranked first in Canada and in the top ten in North America for academic productivity.^[4] Many clinical firsts in cardiovascular care were performed at TGH.

Research

Toronto General Hospital has had many research achievements including:

• The development and first clinical use of insulin in the treatment of diabetes - 1922 ^[5]
• World's first clinical use of the anticoagulant heparin - 1935 ^[6]
• World's first external heart pacemaker used in open heart resuscitation - 1950 ^[7]
• World's first successful valve transplant - 1955 ^[8]
• World's first coronary care unit - 1965 ^[9]
• World's first successful single lung transplant (Tom Hall) - 1983 ^[10]
• World's first successful double lung transplant (Ann Harrison) - 1986 ^[11]
• World's first aortic valve transplant using the Toronto Heart Valve - 1987 ^[12]
• Canada's first and largest HIV/AIDS clinic - the Immunodeficiency Clinic - 1994 ^[13]
• World's first successful triple organ transplant (lung, liver and pancreas) - 2015 ^[14]

See also

• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
• William Rawlins Beaumont
• List of hospitals in Toronto

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Toronto General Hospital.

• Hospital website
• Research
• Health Innovation
• MaRS Discovery District's "History of the MaRS Heritage Building" touches on the TGH's early history and design.

Coordinates: 43°39′32″N 79°23′19″W / 43.658977°N 79.388505°W / 43.658977; -79.388505