EP Lab Digest - May 2008 - (Page 17)

MAY 2008 SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW 17 Our attending physicians are internationally known for their successful treatment of atrial fibrillation — they are truly leaders in the field of EP! Michele Derheim MSN, RN Director of Clinical Operations, and Suzanne Benloucif-Moore, NP. patients after device implantation. They coordinate support groups and provide extensive education and individual support to the patient and their families through clinic visits. Give an example of a difficult problem or challenge your lab has faced. How it was addressed? Certainly preparing for and opening a new facility was a difficult challenge for us. There were many training days and much overtime for staff in order to get moved in and ready to open. Does your lab use a third party for reprocessing? Yes, we Solutions. use Ascent Healthcare Technical Educator as well as by our Nursing Educator. Feedback is also given by the attending physicians. Yes, we are involved in multiple studies involving atrial fibrillation, different types of ablation catheters, and device studies. How do burnout? you prevent staff To help avoid burnout, we offer flexible scheduling, breaks and staff meetings. Approximately what percentage of your ablation procedures are done with cryo? What percentage is done with radiofrequency? Approximately 5–10 percent of our ablation procedures are done with cryo. The majority (90-95%) of our ablation cases are done with radiofrequency. When was your last inspection by the Joint Commission? We passed our most recent inspection in December 2007. Describe your city or general regional area. How does it differ from the rest of the U.S.? We are located in Ann Arbor, which is near Detroit. Unfortunately, Detroit is known for its recent struggles with the decline of the auto industry. What committees, if any, are staff members asked to serve on in your lab? Some of the committees at our hospital include the workload team and QA. The unit also has team members that participate in the Infection Control Committee, Medication Safety and Education. Are you ACGME-approved for EP training? What do you think about two-year EP programs? Yes, that is offered as an option here. Do you perform only adult EP procedures or do you also do pediatric cases? Is there cross training for pediatric cases? Yes, we perform mainly adult cases. However, we have one tech who is cross-trained from Peds to Adult. Please tell our readers what you consider unique or innovative about your EP lab and staff. Our attending physicians are internationally known for their successful treatment of atrial fibrillation — they are truly leaders in the field of EP! For more information, please visit: www.med.umich.edu How do you handle vendor visits to your department? Do you contract with vendors? Yes, we contract with many vendors. However, vendor visits are limited to only those times they have a case. Does your lab provide any educational or support programs for patients who may have additional questions or those who may be interested in suppor t groups? An extension of EP is the Device Clinic — this area is staffed by RNs and pacemaker specialists that follow the Do your nurses/techs participate in the follow up of pacemakers and ICDs? Not from the lab — we have a team of six nurses that do device follow up. Does your lab utilize any alternative therapies? No. What trends do you see emerging in the practice of EP? We predict further growth in CRT. Better than Ever: The New and Improved Spotlight Interview! Readers, EP Lab Digest’s Spotlight Interview questions have recently been revised for 2008! If your lab hasn’t yet participated in a Spotlight Interview, please visit “www.eplabdigest.com” to download an updated list of questions. Your Spotlight could appear in an upcoming issue of EP Lab Digest! Please describe one of the more interesting or bizarre cases that have come through your EP lab. With Dr. Morady’s referral base being international, we see patients from many different countries. It is enjoyable to care for folks from many different cultures. What are your thoughts about non-EPs implanting ICDs? Do you train such individuals? We believe these cases should be performed by an electrophysiologist. Therefore, we do not train non-EPs. How does your lab handle call time for staff members? How often is each staff member on call? How frequently do they have to come in, on average? Is there a particular mix of credentials needed for each call team? Staff members are only on call into the evening for late-running cases. There is no call on weekends or overnight. Staff members are on call on average 1-2 times in two weeks. However, they often stay 1-2 times per week. The on-call team consists of 1 tech and 1 RN. What about device recalls? How has your lab handled these? Our Device Clinic staff, not lab staff, handle device recalls. Is your lab doing webbased/transtelephonic device follow-up? No — this is also done in the Device Clinic. Is your EP lab currently involved in any clinical research studies or special projects? Which ones? http://www.med.umich.edu http://www.eplabdigest.com

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

EP Lab Digest - May 2008 Is There an Under-Referral of Women for Atrial Fibrillation Ablation? A Hybrid Approach to the Cure of Atrial Fibrillation Contents Letter from the Editor Spotlight Interview: University of Michigan Health System 10-Minute Interview: Amit J. Shanker, MD Modular EP Units: Are They Possible? One Hospital’s Experience All About My Job: Technician Supervisor (New Column!) Alcohol Septal Ablation in the Cath Lab: What is it All About? About the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society: Interview with Martin J. Gardner, MD, FRCP(C), FACC Email Discussion Group: May 2008 Second Annual Salary Survey My First Year in Electrophysiology: What Have I Got Myself Into? Highlight on Technology: Video-Audio Integration for the EP Lab On the Horizon: A New Remote Catheter Manipulation System Striving for Excellence in the Care of Cardiac Patients Five Reasons to Participate with a Professional Organization Suspected Shunting of Defibrillation Energy in the EP Lab Can Digital Music Players Cause Interference with Implantable Devices? ECG 101: Ambulatory ECG Monitoring Events Calendar Industry News and Products Classifieds Advertisers Index

EP Lab Digest - May 2008

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