Issue

Albert Einstein Medical Center

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:46:30 -0400

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

Albert Einstein Medical Center (AEMC) is located in the city of Philadelphia. The AEMC cath lab consists of 3 cardiac laboratories capable of performing a wide range of diagnostic and interventional cardiology procedures. One lab is equipped with a Philips Allura Xper FD20 (Bothell, WA) to perform various peripheral, diagnostic and interventional procedures.

Our cath lab staff consists of 1 nurse manager, 6 staff nurses, 6 cardiovascular technologists (CVTs) and 1 inventory coordinator. We also have 2 elect

The Rationale for PFO Closure: A Series of Arguments For or Against

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:57:26 -0400

Abstract

During the last decade, patent foramen ovale (PFO) and intermittent or permanent right-to-left shunting of venous blood has been proposed to play a pathogenetic role in a number of disorders. This review covers the most common and sometimes controversial indications for closure of the PFO. It considers the safety of the procedure, current evidence that supports closure, and counter arguments. It then offers a considered position for each indication.

Introduction

In recent years, there has been a great deal of attention paid to the patent foramen ovale (PFO). In

From the Witt Series IV to Philips Xper Information Management: A Missouri cath lab staff member shares his experience

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:18:26 -0400

Could you share some of your experience with the Series IV physiomonitoring and information management system at Branson Heart Center in Branson, Missouri?

Branson Heart Center was an outpatient cath lab that was privately owned by a group of physicians. Diagnostic left and right heart caths made up 99% of the cases, along with some peripherals. When we started looking at hemodynamic systems, the Series IV seemed to be the most user-friendly, and easiest to acquire pressures and analyze hemodynamics. We liked the ease of editing the notes, since we were trying to customize the notes

Mercy Cath Lab’s Flood Recovery: One year later

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:31:42 -0400

One year after the June 2008 epic flood that overwhelmed Cedar Rapids, Iowa and forcd the evacuation of Mercy Medical Center, our hospital is back. But all employees, including our cath lab crew, carry vivid memories of our long, difficult recovery.

The Cedar River was rising the morning of Thursday, June 12, but we weren’t expecting it to reach Mercy, sitting 10 blocks away. After all, Mercy stands outside the 500-year flood zone in Cedar Rapids. But all bridges in town had already been closed, making it nearly impossible to travel, because the river bisects the city. Eventually, the ri

Cath Lab 101: Ideas to Increase Your Bottom Line

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:14:33 -0400

With high volumes, cost and reimbursement, successful cardiology programs drive the revenue in the hospital. Declining reimbursement and increasing expenses make our jobs managing even tougher. During these tough economic times, we have to work hard to increase our bottom line. We have to consider all avenues in order to make money without sacrificing patient care.

Where do you start? What do you watch? I can sum it up with one word: volume. Volume drives everything. It’s one of the few things we cannot control, yet it controls us. It’s something we must keep a very close eye on becaus

Adult Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: The role of nitric oxide

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:16:33 -0400

The role nitric oxide plays in the regulation of pressures in the pulmonary artery is a relatively new discovery. This article will examine the history of nitric oxide as a vasodilator, the new classifications of pulmonary hypertension and the reason adult nitric oxide studies are performed in the cardiac catheterization lab.

The History of Nitric Oxide as a Vasodilator

Nitric oxide, as a gas, was first discovered in 1772 by Joseph Priestly, also known as nitrogen monoxide, is composed of one atom of nitrogen and one atom of oxygen. It is one of the few gaseous signaling molecules

A Proposal for Core Curriculum for Training of Advanced Level Cardiology Specialist Assistants (Full title below)

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:25:32 -0400

A Proposal for Core Curriculum for Training of Advanced Level Cardiology Specialist Assistants for the Performance of Diagnostic and Interventional Carotid and Peripheral Procedures: Part III

Report of the International Society of Advanced Level Medical Imaging Physician Specialists (ISMIPSI) and the Committee on Training Standards© Preamble: Third Module

This proposed curriculum pertains to the development of the content specifications to define the tertiary/graduate level knowledge and skill sets suggested to train Advanced Level Cardiology Specialist Assistants t

Creating a Top-Performing Cath Lab Team: The Importance of Communication

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:48:34 -0400

Communication is more than just words. It’s about sharing ideas and information, and most importantly, it’s about listening. Telling a person something and communicating are two very different things. Real communication involves an exchange, making listening a critical component of the interaction.

In any industry, one of the most challenging aspects of teamwork has always been achieving effective communication. This is especially true in healthcare, where communication can mean the difference between life and death for a patient, or success or failure of an initiative.

More spe

What is the SYNTAX Score and How Should We Use It?

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:40 -0400

In recent years, studies of multivessel coronary angioplasty randomized patients between surgery and intervention. The fairness of this randomization assignment has become a subject of great interest, since it may influence outcomes. One of the most prominent recent studies, the SYNTAX trial, compared multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), including patients with left main narrowings, to coronary artery bypass surgery. The results of this randomized study demonstrated that patients who had SYNTAX scores >34 appeared to do much better with bypass surgery than those with lower SYN

What Do You Think?

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:09:42 -0400

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

Answer or pose a question at cathlabdigest@aol.com

_____________________________

NEW Questions!

Dry Trays and D2B

I need evidence-based info regarding the practice of setting up dry trays to reduce door-to-balloon times. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Rhonda Kempa, RN, RCIS
Email: rkempa@wpahs.org
Cc: cathlabdigest@aol.com

Sterile Field Range

I have heard several different answers to the following question. In the cath lab setting, when a sterile f