Cath Lab Digest - April 2008 - (Page 43)

APRIL 2008 SICP: PROFESSIONALS OUT IN FRONT 43 The Ten-Minute Interview with… Dale Hansen RT, CVT Conroe Regional Medical Center, Conroe, Texas 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. Dr. John Simpson and Dale Hansen, RT, CVT. 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 http://www.wavemark.net/CLD04 http://www.wavemark.net/CLD04

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cath Lab Digest - April 2008

Cath Lab Digest - April 2008 Kaiser San Rafael Medical Center Orbital Atherectomy: A New Treatment for Complex Peripheral Arterial Disease Ask the Clinical Instructor: A Q&A Column for Those New to the Cath Lab Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner CEU Education Center The Missing Link in STEMI Interventions — Thrombus Aspiration during Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Predicting Stent Thrombosis Using A Clinical Risk Score Use of a New Guidewire: The Tigerwire Should I Stay or Should I Go? Weighing Options for New Opportunities Navigating Tortuous Coronary Sinus Anatomy Using a Bipolar Lead The National Society of Radiology Practitioner Assistants (NSRPA) Holds 9th Annual Educational Conference For Medical Imaging Physician Extenders and Mid-Level Healthcare Providers Cath Lab & Beyond: A Meeting Update The Ten-Minute Interview with… Dale Hansen RT, CVT Sometimes, You Just Know Twin Circumflex Arteries: A Rare Coronary Artery Anomaly What Do You Think? Meetings Calendar News from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Session and the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) Annual Scientific Sessions in Partnership with the ACC i2 Summit Clinical & Industry News Cath Laughs Classifieds Advertisers Index

Cath Lab Digest - April 2008

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