Why did you choose to work in the invasive cardiology field?

The first time I saw a cardiac catheterization performed I was hooked, totally fascinated. Over the last 30 years I have rarely been bored. There is always new technology, always a new challenge, and I love the instant gratification of helping someone immediately.

Can you describe your role in the cath lab?

I have been in my current position for 24 years. I still scrub, monitor, and sometimes circulate in the lab. As a CVT, even with the RCIS credential, my scope of practice in the state of California has b

New Questions for December 2007

No. of Peripheral IVs

How many peripheral IVs are inserted prior to catheterization procedures? We have always placed two, but some in our lab feel it is not necessary, and others feel it is. We were hoping to get some feedback from other hospitals. Thank you!

Jena Canavan, RN, CCRN
Invasive Cardiology Educator
Email: jcanavan@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
Cc: cathlabdigest@aol.com

Normal Caths & Standard Ambulation Times

How does your institution handle the following items?

1. Do you track normal cardiac cath numbers?

Beta-blockers are used for a variety of different situations. You will see them used for heart rate control, blood pressure management, long-term angina treatment and cardiomyopathy, just to name a few. This topic can generally be a 2- to 3-hour lecture just to cover the basics. I will try to address the important points in a few paragraphs.

To understand how beta-blockers work, we must first revisit some basic physiology and pharmacokinetics.

If we recall a visit to our basic terminology, we should know that any medication that has an effect on the heart rate is considered a chronot

The Emerald Coast Chapter was proud to have Dr. AlSheikh and Dr. Neilson as speakers on November 28, 2007, at the Atlas, Pensacola, Florida. The topic was Atrial Fib and its treatment options in the EP lab and the OR. The Emerald Coast Chapter SICP would like to thank our vendor sponsor, Shelby Dukes, St. Jude Medical.

Please contact Angie Bowles for chapter information at angiermark@aol.com.

Angie Bowles, RN,CCRN
Emerald Coast Chapter President

The Keystone Chapter of the SICP held a dinner lecture on November 1, 2007 at the Eden Resort Inn in Lancaster, PA

A patient in the room is a given. Patience among the staff is not, and here is why. Constant interruptions, complete unpredictability and countless details. If you add these three things together, you come up with the wrenching and all-consuming frustration of even the most straightforward task.

All any of us want to do is solve the problem at hand and complete the task with which we are presented. It is our job and our nature to finish what we start. However, with the above tortuous trio, the simplest task can bring you to your knees.

Not even 24 hours prior to this writing, I was trans

In a TCT 2007 presentation summarizing all of the trial and registry data to date, Dr. Gregg Stone (Columbia University) concluded that the bulk of the data are largely reassuring. Would you agree?

Yes, I would agree with Dr. Stone’s conclusion. The increasing number of cases included in large meta-analyses eliminates some of the sporadic, somewhat spurious, adverse events that the data alluded to earlier. What we see in standard practice when used within labeled indications are rates of mortality and myocardial infarction (MI) with DES being equal to (see Figure 1) and in some ca

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center Celebrates Opening of Newly Renovated Cardiac Catheterization Lab

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (PBGMC) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, recently celebrated the opening of its newly renovated cardiac catheterization lab. The Chamber of Commerce of the Northern Palm Beaches performed an official ribbon cutting, attended by physicians, administrators and cath lab staff.

The new state-of-the-art cath lab has the ability to perform cardiac catheterizations and peripheral angiograms, as well as imaging of the carotid arteries. The lab allows physic

Clinical Study Shows 50% Reduction in Median Time-to-Hemostasis for Vascular Solutions’ D-Stat Dry Hemostatic Bandage

Vascular Solutions, Inc. announced the published results of a 376-patient, five-center, prospective randomized U.S. clinical study regarding its thrombin-based D-Stat Dry hemostatic bandage used for the control of surface bleeding from vascular access sites following percutaneous procedures.

The study showed that when used as an adjunct to hemostasis, D-Stat Dry reduces time to hemostasis following diagnostic femoral catheterizations using 4F-6F introducer sheat

Congratulations to Stephanie O'Dell, Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) and Tina Martin, RCIS, who recently passed the Cardiovascular Credentialing International RCIS exam. They work at Parkwest Medical Center Cath Lab in Knoxville, Tennessee, which is in the process of getting all of its cardiovascular technologists (CVTs) registered. Team member Jennifer Vittatoe, CVT, shared the news and noted, We are very proud of them!