What is the size of your cath lab staff and facility?

Johnson City Medical Center’s Center for Cardiovascular Health has a total of six cath labs, with one dedicated to electrophysiology (EP) procedures. There is a 32-bed holding room and the 34-member staff includes 25 registered nurses (RNs), with the remaining bulk of the staff being cath lab technologists. Each lab is staffed with one RN and two technologists. The RNs are specialty-trained for the cath lab and the technologists are certified as registered cardiac invasive specialists (RCISs).

Located in the heart of the sou

Many professionals working in the cardiac cath lab setting are able to recognize right heart pressures. However, many still do not understand what is happening physiologically and the information that can be acquired from the waveform. Many hemodynamic systems provide a value for the a-wave and the v-wave, but what does it tell us about our patient’s condition? Let’s take a closer look at what is actually occurring within the cardiac cycle to cause the various peaks and valleys, and what pathologic conditions can alter these waveforms.

Right Atrial Waveform

Let’s begin with

This document is a consensus statement by the major American societies of physicians who work in the interventional laboratory environment. It reviews available data on the prevalence of occupational health risks and summarizes ongoing epidemiologic studies designed to further elucidate these risks. Its purpose is to affirm that the interventional laboratory poses workplace hazards that must be acknowledged, better understood, and mitigated to the greatest extent possible. Vigorous efforts are advocated to reduce these hazards. Interventional physicians and their professional societies, worki

A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque ruptures within the vessel wall of a coronary artery, resulting in formation of thrombus. The thrombus decreases the blood supply to a specific portion of the myocardium, resulting in myocardial necrosis from an unmet need for oxygen.

Globally, acute myocardial infarction is the leading cause of death for both men and women.1 In the United States, one in five deaths is attributed to coronary artery disease.2 What are the signs and symptoms of a patient presenting with acute myocardial infarction? A great majority of patients have

How is the Catania Stent unique?

The Catania Stent (CeloNova BioSciences, Newnan, GA), a cobalt chromium stent with a modified, open-cell design, is surface-modified by the NanoThin Polyzene®-F polymer, which is the main characteristic of the stent. Preclinical studies demonstrate that Polyzene-F has very positive effects once it is introduced in the human body. Particularly important from the interventionalists’ point of view is that Polyzene-F has very low surface thrombogenicity. In addition, this polymer has anti-inflammatory and bacterial resistance qualities, as well as a pr

What is ultrasound-accelerated thrombolysis?

Ultrasound-accelerated thrombolysis involves the breaking down or “melting” of blood clots that can form in the leg arteries or veins. The standard or older method has been to simply give blood thinners, either intravenously or by mouth, and then over two to four months, those blood clots can get resolved. This methodology uses ultrasound energy along with thrombolytics to help accelerate the process of thrombolysis. tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) is the typical thrombolytic utilized to dissolve clot rapidly, within hours or over

Over the past decade, a great deal of debate has erupted regarding the ability of hospitals to perform primary and/or elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) without on-site open heart surgery. Angioplasty is considered the ‘gold standard’ of care for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but has been questioned as a stand-alone service. Is on-site open heart surgery needed when performing PCI?

Despite the safety and efficacy of this practice at hospitals with strong quality standards in place, the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA

As healthcare organizations expand their cardiovascular imaging services, similarly, capital investment dollars also increase exponentially on information system conversions, making many a chief financial officer and chief informational officer worry about uncertain return-on-investments scenarios. While some may view expansion as strategically necessary to remain competitive, others may inherently view it as a essential to providing better quality care. Regardless of philosophical mindset, investing substantial funds in a cardiovascular image and information management system (CIIMS) is a ven

Upon graduating from the cardiovascular technology program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) in Milwaukee, WI in 2002, I began my cath lab career working in the Heart and Vascular Center at SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford, IL. I had the great fortune to work with excellent physicians and staff, and I was given the opportunity to gain invaluable experience working with all aspects of the vascular system, including electrophysiology (EP). I took those experiences and many fond memories with me last year when my wonderful, supportive husband and I moved back to Wisconsin. I currentl

Multiple new and ongoing questions from readers. Your responses are welcome!
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New Questions!

Medications & Sterile Field

What is the practice of placing medications on the sterile field. Specifically we are looking into the aspect of pouring meds into med cups, which are labeled, or is the common practice to draw the medications from the vials via needle?

Email: Scott.Brunton002@chw.edu
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Staffing Formula

Do you have a matrix or formula for cath labs that can ca