What type of procedures are performed at your lab?

We perform elective heart caths, angioplasty, stent implants, pacemaker implants, trans-esophageal echos (TEE) and cardioversions. We perform approximately 20 cases per week and recently have started to perform peripheral cases as well, including renal, femoral, and iliac percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and peripheral interventions.

How did you begin performing peripheral cases?

The hospital administration realized that this is a continuing paradigm shift and that the cath labs, special procedure lab

Furthermore, some may present with stroke, cardiac failure or other manifestations of end organ damage or ischemia. Typical clinical manifestations are renovascular hypertension, stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, abdominal angina or claudication of the legs or arms. In patients with symptoms, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty has emerged as the treatment of choice in most involved vascular beds.²

Etiology

The etiology of FMD is currently unknown, although genetic, hormonal, and mechanical factors have been suggested. ³ FMD is probably not a single diseas

Case Report

An 83-year-old male with multiple medical problems was admitted to the hospital for intravenous antibiotic treatment of a severe lower extremity cellulitis. He suffered from longstanding diabetes mellitus and resultant chronic kidney disease with nephrotic range proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia. In addition, he was a former smoker and has mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. On the third day of his hospitalization, he became progressively short of breath and hypoxic. Physical examinati

Hemoglobin is 10.6mg/dl;
White blood cell count (WBC) is 11,000 cell/mm3;
K+ (potassium) is 3.4meq/dl, platelet count of 65,000;
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is 28mg/dl;
Creatinine is 1.4mg/dl;
International Normalized Ratio (INR) is 1.5.

Should this patient continue in the lab or should you consult the physician and stop the procedure? In view of the unknown risks that these blood values portend, this patient’s procedure should wait until the physician has a clear understanding of the problems and the potential risk/benefits of performing angiography/percutaneous coronary

Patient safety is always a primary goal in any hospital and radiation safety ranks high on the list of safety items for a catheterization laboratory. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NCR) and the Food and Drug Association (FDA) regulate the use of radioactive materials in medicine and the manufacture of devices that emit radiation, respectively. The Joint Commission (TJC), more commonly referred to as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), also regulates safety through its accreditation process. JCAHO has made the statement that prolonged fluoroscopy

Unfortunately, I believe he accurately summarizes the current views of many cardiologists, especially those trained since the early 1990’s. Without question, echocardiography, Doppler, and nuclear testing are excellent clinical tools for assessing left ventricular function and aortic valve disease. Without doubt, contrast ventriculography and trans-aortic pressure measurements have limitations. However, these techniques continue to provide useful hemodynamic information, especially in situations when non-invasive techniques may be inaccurate. Optimal clinical decision making recognizes that

What are the latest developments in carotid stenting trials and research?

In July of this year, Kensey Nash Corporation announced a Board of Directors decision to cease all activities involving the marketing and regulatory approval process of the flow occlusion and aspiration TriActiv® System platforms. The system had received CE Mark approval in Europe for use as an embolic protection device (EPD) during coronary saphenous vein bypass graft (SVG) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures and in the United States for SVG percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A Phase I clinica

What are patient management guidelines, and how are they set?

In cardiology, guidelines are typically set by an organization when a sufficient body of evidence exists for the treatment of a specific disease state. Guidelines are also used as guiding principles for a certain procedure or procedural group, such as percutaneous intervention. A working group is then established that includes representatives from all of the major groups that have influence upon or interest in that particular area. The working group reviews available data and weighs it in terms of how helpful the data is,

Case Report

A 56-year-old woman presented with an acute inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. She was treated with intravenous metoprolol, heparin and eptifibatide, along with oral clopidogrel and aspirin. Emergent cardiac catheterization revealed a thrombotic total occlusion of the mid to distal right coronary artery (Figure 1), with no significant disease of the left coronary system. Left ventricular function was mildly depressed with mild inferior hypokinesis. Percutaneous coronary intervention proceeded with easy wire passage and immediate but faint opacification

How important is the impression you make with your resume? What elements can cause a resume to "stand out" among the rest? In this month’s column, we will address these and other questions about making sure the first impression you have on a potential employer is the best it can be. Regardless of the extent of your professional and educational background, your career is nonetheless summed up in words on a page.

A resume should be a summary of your professional and personal experiences education, clinical expertise, employment milestones, skills and interests within the workplace. Overall