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Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba's first hyperbaric oxygen therapy hub to open
Inside the chamber: a bed and pillow, a wrist strap, enough space for a 6 ft. 6 in. cotton gown-clad individual. Outside the chamber: Martin Hiebert, pointing to gauges and a phone attached to the vessel. 'You are in constant conversation with the patient,' Hiebert said. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Martin Hiebert aims to open the St. James clinic at 1863 Portage Ave. on Sept. 1. Patients haven't yet laid in one of Prairie Hyperbarics' three chambers. Hiebert aims to open the St. James clinic on Sept. 1, marking Manitoba's first hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) hub. He gave the Free Press a tour of 1863 Portage Ave. ahead of time. Up to 21 clients will be treated daily. Health Canada recognizes HBOT as effective in treating 14 conditions. The range of ailments is vast — embolisms, carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries, decompression sickness, skin grafts. Clients will, most often, arrive with a prescription, Hiebert said. They'll enter a hyperbaric chamber room with three tubular chambers ready to pump a high concentration of oxygen into the body. Hiebert anticipates great demand: another three chambers could arrive within a year. 'The key here is to make (people) feel comfortable,' Hiebert said. Hence the TVs. Clients lying in each chamber for 80 minutes can watch movies. Meanwhile, they'll be consuming near-pure oxygen in four 15-minute stretches. Air composed of 94 per cent oxygen will circulate the enclosed tube. 'Compare it to 33 feet down in the water,' Hiebert described. 'That's the amount of pressure you get.' Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Martin Hiebert shows Prairie Hyberbarics' oxygen storage room. Those periods are broken by five-minute stretches of consuming typical breathing air, which has 21 per cent oxygen, via a supplied mask. It's a therapy that's grown since the 1950s. The goal is to 'fill the blood with enough oxygen to repair tissues and restore normal body function,' a summary by Johns Hopkins Medicine reads. Hiebert got exposed roughly eight years ago when he had prostate cancer and accompanying organ damage from its treatment. His oncologist recommended HBOT. However, there were no options in Manitoba, so Hiebert travelled to a Calgary clinic. It cost Manitoba Health around $35,000, Hiebert said. HBOT clinics have sprouted in Toronto and Vancouver. Several Canadian hospitals have hyperbaric units. Hiebert and business partner Dr. Karen Moran de Muller will run Prairie Hyperbarics, a private clinic. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba has approved Moran de Muller as the site's medical director. Still pending is the CPSM accreditation needed before the clinic can operate. The association's Manitoba Quality Assurance Program has been in communication with the clinic, spokeswoman Wendy Elias-Gagnon wrote in an email. The accreditation process hasn't been started, but CPSM will work with Prairie Hyperbarics 'once the clinic is ready.' 'We're very close,' Hiebert said. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Health Canada recognizes HBOT as effective in treating 14 conditions. Hiebert says a session at Prairie Hyperbarics will cost roughly $600. Later, he showed a thick binder Prairie Hyperbarics must adhere by to meet medical standards. Hiebert is envisioning athletes among the clients walking through the doors. A session will cost roughly $600, he said. He underwent 35 sessions in Calgary. An average case might involve daily sessions for 30 days, he said. He's in the midst of hiring two technicians to monitor treatments. The chambers can shut down in 120 seconds if need be. Another room holds a large fire extinguisher; it can fill the chamber room in 10 seconds, Hiebert said. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba isn't aware of another accredited hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber in the province, Elias-Gagnon confirmed. Shared Health doesn't oversee such chambers. 'We're really excited to have something at that level of innovation happening right in St. James,' said Melanie Maher, executive director of the St. James Village BIZ. 'It's really unique to bring it to the neighbourhood.' The new clinic comes with a $4.6 million start-up price tag, Hiebert said. Each Perry Baromedical hyperbaric chamber cost roughly $225,000. The clinic hasn't received government funding. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Martin Hiebert, founder of Prairie Hyperbarics, underwent 35 HBOT sessions in Calgary eight years ago at the recommendation of his oncologist. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Hiebert believes Prairie Hyperbarics can save Manitoba Health money. Hyperbaric therapy would only be considered insured for critical care in a tertiary facility attached to care by a specialist, a provincial spokesperson wrote in a statement. 'While the province is open to further review, non-acute treatment is not currently covered in a private clinical setting,' the spokesperson continued. Hiebert is a marketing executive, and Moran de Muller is a family doctor practising out of Crestview Medical Clinic. Other family doctors may eventually join Prairie Hyperbarics — a wing of the 4,400 sq. ft. facility holds five offices for practitioners. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
‘She has suffered significantly': Manitoba plastic surgeon suspended after multiple complaints
A Manitoba plastic surgeon has been suspended after multiple complaints from patients, ranging from post-operative complications to inserting different sized breast implants than what the patient consented to. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) held a hearing in March 2025 to probe charges of professional misconduct against Dr. Manfred Ziesmann, a licenced plastic surgeon who was initially board certified in 1987. Dr. Ziesmann pleaded guilty to the charges. According to the disciplinary hearing report, the charges stem from three patients who Dr. Ziesmann performed multiple surgeries and procedures on over the course of a decade. The first patient had five procedures performed by Dr. Ziesmann between 2012 and 2022, including an abdominal scar revision surgery which had post-operative complications due to issues with wound healing and a 'retained surgical drain.' A second patient had two surgeries performed by Dr. Ziesmann – a 2021 procedure to address breast and areola asymmetry and a bi-lateral breast surgery in 2022, in which different sized breast implants were inserted contrary to the patient's consent form, the report said. According to the complaint, the patient experienced significant post-surgery issues which required follow-up visits to Dr. Ziesmann, urgent care clinics and the emergency room. Dr. Manfred Ziesmann Doctor Manfred Ziesmann performs a procedure in an undated image. (Dr. Ziesmann Cosmetic Clinic/ Instagram) The on-call plastic surgeon at the hospital reported the patient's wound had split open, a thick, black scar had formed and there was noted necrosis – which occurs when body tissue dies from too little blood flow. 'She states she has had a hard time seeing Dr. Ziesmann back following surgery, and feels that her concerns have been disregarded,' the hospital's on-call plastic surgeon wrote in their notes. The patient subsequently required another procedure performed by a different surgeon to remove the breast implants, the report explained. The third patient saw Dr. Ziesmann in April 2023 for an excision of a lesion after she was previously diagnosed by her dermatologist with basal cell carcinoma through a shave biopsy. A pathology report after Dr. Ziesmann's excision noted the lesion did not seem to be taken from the corresponding biopsy site. The patient had a second excision procedure performed by Dr. Ziesmann in August 2023, the report said, but the dermatologist noted basal cell carcinoma was still present afterwards. The dermatologist subsequently referred the patient for a third procedure with a different surgeon. Surgeon displayed lack of knowledge, skill: panel An inquiry panel tasked with reviewing the complaints concluded Dr. Ziesmann displayed a lack of knowledge, skill and judgement in practicing medicine and breached a number of standards of practice, including failing to fully document informed consent discussions, failing to thoroughly document management plans, and failing to keep detailed and accurate patient records. 'The panel was particularly struck by how the actions of Dr. Ziesmann have had such a negative impact on the health and well-being of patient 2,' the panel's recommendation read, referencing a submitted written impact statement. 'She has suffered significantly over the last few years and there is little doubt that she will continue to be impacted for years to come.' The report also noted Dr. Ziesmann had six prior complaints or matters levelled against him. The panel recommended Dr. Ziesmann be suspended for six weeks starting March 24, 2025, and be subsequently monitored and limited to lengthy terms and conditions. He was also ordered to pay over $34,000 to cover CPSM's costs. The full report can be read on the college's website.
