EP Lab Digest - February 2008 - (Page 12)

12 SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008 Spotlight Interview Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center James Armstrong, PA-C, Chief Physician Assistant Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Caritas Medical Group/CSEMC Brighton, Massachusetts What is the size of your EP lab facility and number of staff members? What is the mix of credentials at your lab? The Arrhythmia Service at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center is comprised of two state-of-the-art EP labs. Our staff of four electrophysiologists, two EP fellows, one cardiology fellow, one physician assistant, ten registered nurses, three radiology technologists, one engineer, a lab assistant, one secretary and one scheduling coordinator moved into this new space from a single outdated lab in the spring of 2005. We also have an affiliated device clinic that is run by two experienced nurse practitioners. We have two Philips labs, one of which features the first in the world integration of Stereotaxis with the advanced Philips imaging system. When was the EP lab started at your institution? The EP service at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center was initiated in 1989 by the arrival of Dr. Charles Haffajee. Ablation procedures were originally performed using direct current from a standard external defibrillator machine and were performed in an old cath lab. Device implants were initially performed by a surgeon until 1992, when the first ICD was implanted in the EP lab by Dr. Haffajee.We now have a full complement of four attending electrophysiologists.The EP fellowship program started in 1994 and was increased to two fellows last year. What types of procedures are performed at your facility? In addition to traditional ablation procedures for AVNRT, AVRT, atrial flutter, The staff: (back row, from left to right) Patti Pacetti, NP, Zach Clarke, RT, Moti Haim, MD-EP Fellow, Lynn Landry, RN, James Armstrong, PA, Tom Marchese, Anthony Smeglin, MD-Cardiology Fellow. Front row: Sarah Patton, RN, Jean Connolly, RN, Kathleen Familetto, RN, Tammee Sweck, RT, Erin Andreola, RN and Barbara Phaneuf, RN. atrial tachycardias, RVOT and complex ventricular tachycardias, we perform atrial fibrillation ablations using both manual and remote magnetic navigation. We also perform permanent pacemaker, ICD, cardiac resynchronization and loop recorder implants. Defibrillator testing, tilt table testing and cardioversions are also a part of our curriculum. Diagnostic EP studies and catheter ablations are guided by CARTO 3D or EnSite NavX mapping systems. For atrial fibrillation ablations, advanced threedimensional imaging (Philips) is used in collaboration with CT overlay.This imaging breakthrough provides the ability to overlay a three-dimensional rotational angiogram or CT replica of the left atrium upon a corresponding live fluoroscopic image.We were among the first EP laboratories in the world to test and enhance this technology, which is now available for clinical use. implant procedures covering the whole spectrum of an EP laboratory in a tertiary care setting.A specific area of interest for our lab is real-time anatomical cardiac imaging during atrial fibrillation ablations for the purpose of decreasing radiation exposure and improving procedural efficiency. Approximately how many are performed each week? What complications do you find during these procedures? We perform an average of 15 invasive and 10 noninvasive procedures weekly and generally have complication rates well below the national averages in all areas. Who manages your EP lab? Our lab is under the direction of Charles Haffajee, MD, and day-to-day management is governed by senior nursing staff including Sarah Patton, RN, Jean Connolly, RN, and Kathleen Familetto, RN. What is the primary goal of your program (AF ablations, lead extractions, BiVs, etc.)? We perform catheter ablation and Is the EP lab separate from the See SPOTLIGHT page 14

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EP Lab Digest - February 2008

EP Lab Digest - February 2008 Creating the U-M Center for Arrhythmia Research: Interview with José Jalife, MD Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute and St. David’s Medical Center Launch State-of-the-Art Training Center Contents Letter from the Editor Spotlight Interview: Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center 10-Minute Interview: Sue Deck, BS, RN, RCES Keeping Pace With a Blog Roundtable Discussion on Cryoablation Procedures Email Discussion Group: February 2008 Events Calendar Industry News and Products Classifieds Advertisers Index

EP Lab Digest - February 2008

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