June 2003

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Volume 11 Issue 6

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
Clinical Meetings Calendar
Cardiac Catheterization 2003 This one-day symposium will cover such topics as adjunctive pharmacology in PCI, coated stents and emerging technologies. Attendees will be given opportunities to interact with leading cardiovascular care companies who w…
One proven basic design concept is to cluster cath labs around a central core, forming a primary staff zone.
Avoiding the Void: Integrating Cath Lab Equipment Early Facilitates Easier, Quicker Lab Design and Construction
Knowing the exact cath lab equipment to be used allows lab design to be more accurate and construction to proceed more smoothly and quickly. Cath lab equipment needs impact the full spectrum of a lab’s design, including size, electrical and mechanica…
Site Verification Update
Effective immediately, the Joint Commission has modified how it scores JCAHO National Patient Safety Goal #4, which requires organizations to Eliminate wrong-site, wrong-patient, wrong-procedure surgery. Specifically, the change affects the scoring o…
What Do You Think?
Readers answered the following two questions from the April issue: 1. Paramedic Use I’m interested to know if cath labs are utilizing paramedics. If so, what duties are they allowed to perform? I’m particularly interested in knowing if any cath la…
The Ambulatory Cardiac Care Center at Hahnemann Hospital
To date, there are six independent physician groups participating in the center, with other physicians coming on board. No interventional procedures are performed at our facility. However, should an emergent case arise, it is promptly dealt with by m…
Clinical and Industry News
LuMend Launches New, 50% Smaller CTO Catheter Platform LuMend Corporation, developing technology for crossing chronic total occlusions (CTOs), has launched its fifth-generation catheter platform, the Frontrunner® X39 CTO Catheter. The Frontrunner X3…
Email Discussion Group: Cardiac Call Team Dilemma
RT doesn’t need to pan My first question is, why four staff? We use one RT/CVT or RN to scrub, one RN circulating, one RT/CVT to monitor, and the MD pans the table. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE AN RT PANNING THE PATIENT SINCE THE MD HAS A FLUORO SUPERVI…
10 Minute Interview with...Annie Ruppert, RN, BSN,San Diego, California
Why did you choose to work in the invasive cardiology field? I find this field to be interesting and forever changing. I graduated from a 3-year diploma nursing school in 1976 and obtained my BSN from Regents College. I have worked at Sharp Hospita…
Sequential angiography of the index procedure. In-stent restenosis is observed in the mid portion of the SVG to the RCA (left panel). Angiography showing stent positioning and its relationship with anatomical landmarks, such as the edges of the previous s
Sirolimus-Eluting Stent for Complex Lesions:Treatment of Saphenous Vein Graft Disease
It is estimated that 40% of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) are occluded and a higher number develop significant stenosis within 10 years after operation.1 Our treatment options have been limited and disappointing. When treated with conventional percutan…
Questions on Drug-Eluting Stents
Do you expect drug-eluting stents to increase your cath lab volume? The U.S has shown a 24% increase in cardiovascular procedures from 1996-1999. This is partly due to the baby boomers’ coming into the age for heart disease. The trend-tracking indus…