Our grant of just under £60,000 will enable the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) to introduce Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) at St Bernard’s Hospital. The funding will help purchase a state-of-the-art CPET system and initial staff training. CPET is recognised as the gold standard for objectively assessing a patient’s fitness for major surgery, measuring how the heart, lungs and muscles respond to exercise to provide a more individualised assessment of surgical risk. The new service will strengthen pre-operative care for patients undergoing major elective surgery, particularly those at higher risk due to age, frailty or underlying cardiac and respiratory conditions.
The GHA will support the ongoing maintenance and future training, ensuring the service remains sustainable. By improving safer surgery and recovery, and helping clinicians plan post-operative critical care, the introduction of CPET represents an important advancement in peri-operative care and a lasting investment in the health of patients in Gibraltar.
Dr Paul Bosio, Director General at Gibraltar Health Authority said: “We are extremely grateful to Kusuma Trust Gibraltar for supporting this important initiative. Introducing Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing at St Bernard’s Hospital represents a significant advancement in peri-operative care, enabling our clinical teams to better assess and prepare patients for major surgery. This investment will improve patient safety, support better clinical decision-making and help deliver better outcomes for the people of Gibraltar. Kusuma Trust’s generosity will leave a lasting legacy for healthcare in our community.”