Cardiovascular Business - March/April 2008 - (Page 21) “Employment opportunities for cardiovascular technologists and technicians are expected to increase by 26 percent through the year 2016—much faster than the average for all occupations.” Source: 2006 u.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics The hospital conducts in-service training both in and out of the hospital setting, and frequently sends techs-in-training to educational seminars (one example: informational sessions held at a Cincinnati-based supplier of cardiac mapping equipment). “In short, we invest a lot in these people,” Platia says. “Our techs ultimately become so qualified, they go on to take what is, in essence, the national boards (exams by the Heart Rhythm Society and the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners). These are credentials you can hang your hat on.” Nevertheless, physicians would almost certainly prefer to have EP techs walk in on Day One, trained and ready to perform competently in what Platia says are, “in essence, surgical cases.” James P. Daubert, MD, director of the Heart rhythm Program at strong Heart and Vascular Center, University of rochester, says that increased formal training and credentialing for EP techs will invariably raise their workplace value. Because potentially lethal ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation may be induced in the lab, EP lab staff must be prepared to defibrillate the patient if necessary. But despite the delicacy of electrophysiologic procedures, they are considered low-risk with a high degree of success. If cardiac ablation is performed at the same time as the diagnostic test, some patients may not even require subsequent medication, and for the most common forms of supraventicular tachycardia, radiofrequency ablation has been successful in eliminating arrhythmias in up to 95 percent of patients. How it’s done EP studies of the heart are performed to analyze cardio-electrical activity, chiefly in patients with heart arrhythmias, a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Because arrhythmias are by definition unpredictable and intermittent, they are difficult to isolate through an electrocardiogram; even tests of longer duration, like Holter monitoring, are not dependable tools in the attempt to capture and assess underlying arrhythmic activities. EP tests, on the other hand, last from one to four hours (in certain cases, including some ventricular tachycardias, the tests investing in technology have been known to last a full six hours). In the EP lab of the Heart Rhythm Program at Strong Heart and Using cardiac catheters linked to sophisticated computers, the Vascular Center, located at the University of Rochester, electroelectrophysiologist literally provokes arrhythmic activity in a physiology teams perform about 500 ablations, some 4,000 ICD highly controlled and monitored lab environment to determine › Certifying ep technologists the precise location of disordered Cardiovascular Credentialing International has developed a registry level credential for elecelectrical signals. EP studies are trophysiology. This credential—Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist (RCES)—will used to diagnose as well as treat be an entry-level credential and supports the current pathway for advanced practice certipatients with certain tachycardias fication through the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners. Credentialing estabor bradycardias, those who have lishes recognition of the profession. It assures employers that those individuals who have been resuscitated after experisuccessfully completed the credentialing process have attained the fundamental knowlencing sudden cardiac arrest, and edge required to work in the field. those with symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, (source: statement of Need; drafted by Chris Nelson, rN, rCis, FsiCP; doug Passey, rCis, NrEMT-P; and Letitia P. Esbenshade-smith, rCis, NAsPEeXAM AP EP & Pacing Testamur) dizziness and fainting. CardiovascularBusiness.com Cardiovascular Business 21 http://CardiovascularBusiness.com
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