Dr. John Simpson and Dale Hansen, RT, CVT.

       I was raised in San Antonio, Texas, where I volunteered for the U.S. Army and began my medical training as a medic and radiographer in 1977. After being honorably discharged from active duty in 1981, I relocated to Houston, Texas, and began my civilian career as well as studying and learning cardiovascular technology. I am currently employed as the manager of the cardiac cath lab and interventional radiology departments at Conroe Regional Medical Center, Conroe, Texas.

Why did you choose to work in the invasive cardiology field?
       Early in my healthcare career, I had the opportunity to work in the special procedures department at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., and began learning and training in a variety of special procedures that included various types of angiograms and cardiac catheterizations. It was fascinating and compelled me to seek further training in cardiovascular technology, especially since heart disease is the number-one killer of Americans. I wanted to be a part of saving lives.

Can you describe your role as manager in the cardiovascular lab?
       I am the manager of 5 invasive procedure suites where we perform diagnostic, interventional, and electrophysiology procedures. We saw more than 5,200 patients in 2007. I have a multi-faceted role where I participate with the hospital management teams and their commitment to quality healthcare while also managing schedules, staffing and supplies in a cost-effective manner. One needs to also stay focused on new technology, as well as clinical studies and trials, to continually improve healthcare for the communities we serve. I also participate on a team with the Montgomery County Hospital District Emergency Medical Services (MCHDEMS), focusing on improving hospital door-to-balloon (D2B) times. Last year we achieved median D2B times of 47 minutes in the first quarter and 42 minutes in the second quarter. Currently, we are shifting our focus to measuring and improving EMS dispatch-to-balloon times. MCHDEMS is one of the first EMS agencies in the state of Texas to treat post-arrest patients with a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Conroe Regional Medical Center is committed to continuation of this therapy upon hospital arrival. Many of these patients will require emergent catheterizations and our teams will remain devoted to helping save more lives.

What is the biggest challenge you see regarding your role in the cardiovascular lab?
       The biggest challenge is keeping up to date on the evolution of changes that we continue to see in the healthcare environment. Not only do we see newer percutaneous technologies that allow us to perform less invasive procedures, reducing infections and length of stay, but we are also now seeing changes regarding improvements in quality outcomes. We want to invest our hospital’s resources wisely in those things that give us the greatest improvements.

What motivates you to continue working in the CV lab?
       The advancements and the changes we see in medicine are not only challenging, but rewarding. I am amazed to see how many lives we are saving and improving. It’s like being a pioneer on the frontier of progress: the new discoveries in medicines, the new techniques for performing more complex procedures, the new devices and the positive impact on patient quality of life. We continue to make improvements in the care of our patients and this helps reduce the deaths from heart disease year after year in our community, something in which I especially enjoy being involved.

Can you describe some of the interesting or unusual procedures you were involved with early in your career?
       Around 1980, I remember participating in a couple of fascinating procedures. One was a procedure to embolize a brain tumor to reduce the blood loss during surgery. The second was helping to perform lymph angiograms. At that time we had to do cut-downs on the top of the foot and look for tiny lymph vessels, then cannulate them with small needles and inject contrast to make the angiograms. I was awestruck to see all that was involved to be able to see inside a person’s body by making small holes and incisions, injecting a contrasting materials, and making the radiographs or photographs that demonstrated what it looked like inside. Most recently, Dr. James Dwayne Pickett called me into a procedure to see a patient’s coronary angiograms with a single ostium anomalous origin coronary artery, which fed the right coronary, left anterior descending, and circumflex arteries, all from its single origin. I can only remember seeing that one other time in my career in the cath lab. Last week we performed a percutaneous coronary intervention on this patient with great success.

When work gets stressful and you experience low moments (as we all do), what do you do to help keep your morale high?
       We all wake up in the morning, open our eyes, and put two feet on the floor. I believe at that moment we must choose, or decide, how our life that day is going to be and how we will respond to it. I try to decide that I will have a good day as often as I can remember. Having a career in healthcare gives me a daily reminder that there are many unhealthy people out there that need and benefit from the care we provide. If you don’t have your health, you really don’t have anything, so I thank God for the problems that I have. I believe our patients need us to stay focused on how they feel and what we can do to help them get better.

Are you involved with the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP) or other cardiovascular societies?
       Yes, I was one of the founding board members and most recently, former chair, of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the SICP. This was the first chapter in the state of Texas and also the nation. I believe it started a grassroots effort to establish chapters across our great nation that continue to be focused on education for all the members of the cardiovascular team.

Are there websites or texts that you would recommend to other CV labs?
       Dr. Frank Netter’s “Ciba Collection of Medical Illustrations” has amazing pictures of anatomy, pathology, and pathophysiology (Volume 5 is of the heart and great vessels). I would also recommend Dr. Morton Kern’s Cardiac Catheterization Handbook and J. Wesley Todd’s Cardiovascular Review Books. There are also many good internet links found at www.GCSICP.com (Gulf Coast Chapter of the SICP). This website was the creation of my friend Lynne Jones, co-founder of the chapter and former President of the SICP.

If you could send a message back to yourself at the beginning of your CV lab career, what advice would you give?
       Keep an open mind. Gain as much knowledge and wisdom that you can. Love yourself, and try to find peace and harmony in all that you do. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events and small minds discuss people.” And, as Bruce Willis said in Die Hard, “If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem.”

Where do you hope to be in your career when it is time to retire?
       When it is time for me to retire, I would like to be a cath lab director in a friendly community near a lake or seashore, somewhere in the south. In my retirement, I plan on being a fishing guide and/or boat captain. Boating and fishing have been a lifelong hobby for me.

Has anyone in particular been helpful to you in your growth as a cardiovascular professional?
       I feel very fortunate to have received my cardiovascular education, training, and experience in and around the Texas Medical Center. It has provided me with countless opportunities to work with and among so many amazing physicians, scientists, technologists and nurses. So many of these opportunities and experiences I consider priceless and find it difficult just to choose one. Most recently I have been a serious student of my boss, Sharla Shumaker, and am thankful for the things she has taught me over the last few years.

Where do you think the invasive cardiology field is headed in the future?
       I still believe we are about to be knocked off our feet by all of the baby boomers (and following generations) who will need our tender loving care in the cardiac cath, electrophysiology and invasive vascular labs. We will continue to see decreases in typical surgeries, increases in percutaneous types of procedures and improvements in stroke care. Many more physicians will be trained to perform robotic surgeries and procedures.

Dale Hansen can be contacted at Dale.Hansen@HCAhealthcare.com