May 2008

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Volume 16 Issue 5

Editorial Staff

Clinical Editor
Morton Kern, MD
Executive Editor
Laurie Gustafson
Managing Editor
Rebecca Kapur
Production Manager
Elizabeth Vasil

Editorial Correspondence

Rebecca Kapur, Managing Editor, Cath Lab Digest
HMP Communications, 70 E. Swedesford Rd
Suite 100, Malvern PA 19355
Telephone: (440) 717-0418

Fax: (866) 896-8762
Email: rkapur@hmpglobal.com
Hemodynamic Data Collection at Square 1: From transducer to recorder
Hemodynamic studies require accurate data collection technique. For complex cases we record simultaneous pressure waveforms, working with multiple transducers. I have had some questions from our staff as to what is the best and easiest way to collect…
In many systems, the default analysis of the mitral valvegradient includes increasing the sweep speed and decreasing the scaleso that a more accurate measurement can be taken. Before computerswere available to analyze the gradients, physicians or st
Ask the Clinical Instructor
“We have some physicians that do unusual things when trying to analyze valves. What is the correct way?” — RCIS Online student Part II. In the April issue (Part I), we presented some ideas about how to interrogate the aortic valve. In this month’s…
April 2008 Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP) News
SICP Chapter News The Illinois Chapter of the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals held its spring meeting March 12, 2008 at Restaurant La Strada, Hoffman Estates, IL. The topic of discussion was “Updates in Treatment Strategies in PCI”…
What Do You Think?
Answer or pose a question at cathlabdigest@aol.com. New Questions Inventory Coordinator Duties At the Medical University of South Carolina, we are trying to gather more information about a specific job title that was represented in the Cath Lab Dig…
May-08
India Overwhelmed by Heart DiseaseBy 2010, India will carry 60 percent of the world’s heart disease burden, nearly four times more than its share of the global population, according to a recent study. Adding to the burden is a higher incidence of the…
Cell Therapy in the Cath Lab for Heart Failure: A look at MyoCell® Therapy and the SEISMIC Trial
What is MyoCell therapy and what are the advantages of using myoblast cells in particular for treatment of myocardial tissue? MyoCell therapy utilizes autologous (patient-derived) skeletal myoblast cells injected percutaneously into damaged myocardi…
Performance Improvement Strategies Speed Up Treatment Times in the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Pa
For patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the early use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to restore coronary perfusion is associated with significant reductions in mortality and morbidity. The American College o…
Cardiac Cath Lab Economics in a Public Hospital of a Developing Country
Introduction Managing the planning, operation and results of a cardiac catheterization laboratory in a general public university hospital is definitely an enormous task, especially when the hospital budget does not include the cath lab. We are report…
The Ten-Minute Interview with… Christopher Kambak, RT(R)
Why did you choose to work in the invasive cardiology field? I spent approximately 15 years employed in sawmills, working my way from cleanup to foreman before being laid off in September of 1991. One week after the layoff, I was back in school. Fiv…
Comparing Drug-Eluting Stents and Bare-Metal Stents
Data presented at the 2006 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting suggested that drug-eluting stents (DES) might not be as safe as bare-metal stents (BMS). Now, it appears the tide has changed. Why? Concerns about the safety of DES were initial…