Cath Lab Digest - October 2007 - (Page 20)

20 SPOTLIGHT OCTOBER 2007 Can you share the physical layout of your cath labs? We have one procedure room which unlike most, has 5 beautiful sealed windows with automatic blinds which can be closed during the procedure. Our lab is connected to the intensive care unit (ICU), and two floors above the radiology and emergency departments, which can be somewhat geographically challenging. We also have a 4-bed pre/post holding unit located directly across from the procedure room. Please tell the readers what you consider unique or innovative about your cath lab and staff. Our lab is unique in that our staff does pre-admission testing/interviews on all patients. We also do same-day admit to our unit and recovery post procedure. The staff are very dedicated to patients. They try to follow patients from pre-admission testing to procedure, recovery and then to discharge/admission. Beyond discharge, staff personally make followup calls to each outpatient. All PCI patients are followed on the floors each hospital day for post procedure teaching and discharge instructions. After discharge, staff call each patient at 24 hours, 30 days, and one year. If the patient is readmitted, they will go see the patient during subsequent hospitalizations. Our staff is also very involved with community services and programs. Is there a problem or challenge your lab has faced? As a small community hospitalbased lab, it is hard to keep up with the larger institutions as far as the “latest and greatest” equipment. It is also an ongoing process to educate the community that a smaller institution can deliver state-of-the-art care. We maintain a high level of patient care and continue to surpass benchmarks like door-to-balloon times, maintaining and monitoring low complication rates, and overall patient satisfaction. What’s special about your city or general regional area in comparison to the rest of the U.S.? We are in a very culturally diverse community. We have a large Asian population (Cambodian/Laotian), so it is critical that we are educated in regards to their cultural practices (coining *, cupping **). These practices may seem unusual to some, but they can give clues as to what is going on with the patient despite language barriers (for example, coining over chest or scapular region can alert you upon physical exam that the patient has been having chest pains even before you utilize an interpreter). We are located in Lowell, Massachusetts and we have a very experienced 911EMS/paramedic system. Our ER physicians are very supportive and proactive about field activations for STEMI. This has dramatically dropped our door-to-balloon times and enabled us to offer optimal revascularization to our patient population. We are also located about 30 minutes from Boston, which gives our patients many options to choose other specialty care if needed. Dr. Stephen J. Travers, cardiologist, discusses options with his patient. The patient has given permission for the publication of this photo. The patient has given permission for the publication of this photo. The Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP) has added two questions to our spotlight: 1. Do you require your clinical staff members to take the registry exam for Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS)? Do staff receive an incentive bonus or raise upon passing the exam? The RCIS is not a requirement in our lab, but we strongly encourage this exam. The staff has begun the process of preparing to study and take the exam as a group. At this point, until our clinical ladder is in place, there is not a bonus upon passing the exam, but with our annual merit evaluations, it would certainly weigh heavily upon their evaluation, which is tied to their merit raise. 2. Are your clinical and/or managerial team members involved with any professional organizations that support the invasive cardiology service line, such as the SICP, Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals (ACVP), or regional organizations? Our entire cath lab has become members of the SICP. Some also have been members of the American Heart Association. Jennifer McCarthy can be contacted at: jmccarthy@saintsmedicalcenter.com ■ Jeff Peters, RT(R); Rosany Rosario, CVT-RCIS and Dr. James Waters, Medical Director, Cardiac Cath Lab, perform a cardiac catheterization procedure. * “Coining,” is a method of using a copper coin dipped in tiger balm to apply pressure to acupuncture points of the body, which leaves bruise marks. (Source: Accessed September 12, 2007 at http://www.everyculture.com/multi/ Bu-Dr/Cambodian-Americans.html) ** “Cupping” is performed by fixing a piece of cotton in the bottom of a glass, lighting the cotton on fire, and placing the open mouth of the glass on the sick person’s back. This creates a vacuum (and contusion) and thus draws the “wind” (that may be causing the illness) from the body. In one session, the procedure is carried out three to four times bilaterally down the back on either side of the spine with six to eight circular contusions resulting. (Source: Accessed September 12, 2007 at http://www3.baylor.edu/~Charles_Kemp/ laotian_summary.html) http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cambodian-Americans.html http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cambodian-Americans.html http://www3.baylor.edu/~Charles_Kemp/laotian_summary.html http://www3.baylor.edu/~Charles_Kemp/laotian_summary.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cath Lab Digest - October 2007

Saints Medical Center Fibromuscular Dysplasia in Children and Adolescents Cerebral Vascular Accident Following a Pulmonary Embolism: Search for the Hidden Patent Foramen Ovale Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner Meetings Calendar CEU Education Center Radiation Tracking in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab Letter to the Editor Carotid Stenting: An update Release from Stent-jail: Beneficial Snow-Plowing? Patient Management Guidelines Searching for a Cardiovascular Position? Tips for Creating a ‘Stand-Out’ Resume Long-Term Implications of Short-Term Closure Decisions – The Evolution to Vascular Access Management and the Boomerang Catalyst System The Ten-Minute Interview with… Angie Bowles, RN, CCRN CMS Issues Final FY 2008 IPPS Rule ACVP• Membership Page Experience with a New Workhorse Guidewire Ask the Clinical Instructor: Q&A for Those New to Cath Lab A Glimpse of the Future of Clinical Education: Boston Scientific’s SimSuite Bus Visits Carnegie Institute 2007 Educational Fair Held at the Washington Hospital Center Research Update: Original Contribution Abstracts from The Journal of Invasive Cardiology What Do You Think? A Virtual Cath Lab Viewer (VCL): The Development of an Online 3D C-arm Simulator and Coronary Anatomy Viewer Clinical & Industry News Cost-Effectiveness of the Radial versus Femoral Artery Approach to Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization

Cath Lab Digest - October 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.