September 2002

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Volume 10 Issue 9

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
Robert Petrocelli, MS, BS, CEO, Heartlab, Inc., Westerly, Rhode Island
Image Archiving and Reliability Managing Your Risks
When I was younger and training as a physicist, I learned a lot about laws of nature, the rules that guide the way things work. However, there was one important law that was never taught: the law of unintended consequences. Understanding the uninten…
Facility Infrastructure: Configuring your Capacity for Success
Warning signs of a suffering cardiovascular program due to a lack of capacity include the following: Occupancy of inpatient units, especially telemetry and intensive care units, is greater than 80% during non-peak seasons; Emergency Departmen…
Beneath the spreading chestnut tree, we like to read CLD! Front Row: Alan Bennett, Nicole Christian, Deann Funke and Bonnie Flathau. Back Row: Matt Dudley, Theresa Wolak, Sam Azar, Teresa Edwards, Heather Stover, Pam Britton, Beth Bungard an
Becoming a CVT at Carnegie Institute School of Allied Health Technology
Why and how did you become an educator? I began my career in education at Rhode Island College in Social Studies Secondary Education. My first medical training was at Shepard Air Force Base’s Medical Service School. I decided teaching adolescents wa…
Physicians Are Turning to RT(R)s to Achieve Immediate Hemostasis in the Cardiac Cath Lab
Hospitals are continually trying to improve patient satisfaction levels by offering the most advanced clinical practices. Ideally, these practices are executed through creative programs that result in time saving for patients and hospital staff. They…
Cath Lab Digest Email Discussion Group: P.O. Meds and Conscious Sedation
HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR A FUTURE QUESTION? Email us at cathlabdigest@hotmail.com We frequently give aspirin and Plavix to patients after they receive conscious sedation if we are proceeding to angioplasty after an angiogram. The patients are usual…
Digital subtraction angiography showing traumatic pseudoaneurysm of left subclavian artery (arrow).
Endovascular Therapy for Vascular Trauma
*Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago is a Level I Trauma Center and is a Teaching Institution for Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School. For in-depth discussion and case reviews, visit www.peripheralangioplasty.com Recently, h…
Medical Management is the Only Rational Approach
Washington Hospital Center has an annual case volume of approximately 15,000, and between four and five thousand are interventional procedures. There isn’t a toy or device we don’t use! Thus, I could easily discuss interventional cardiology, but to m…
Comparative Data for Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Operations
More than ever, catheterization laboratory managers need access to comparative benchmark data in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing healthcare environment. The following article is the third in a series featuring just such benchmark data fr…
Our Biggest Issue Yet.
This is your publication, and we’re grateful for your interest and contributions. Without you, we are not of much use! Cath Lab Digest always attempts to reflect the dedication and intelligence of our readers. If CLD makes a mistake or doesn’t live u…
Dr. Nirat Beohar, Cath Lab Director
Chicago Healthcare System, Lakeside Division
What is the size of your facility and number of staff members? We have a single digital cath lab and just opened up a second lab dedicated to EP. We have a total of three employees: 1 BSN-prepared RN 1 MSN-prepared RN 1 radiology technologist.…