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Answered!

Mask Wear?

We are trying to collect data from cath labs about requirements for the circulator and whether cath labs require the circulator to wear a mask during regular angiographic/interventional procedures, including pacemaker implants. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Roger Sadberry
Director Cath Lab/Day Patient/GI Lab, Bakersfield Heart Hospital
Bakersfield, CA
Email: Roger.Sadberry@BakersfieldHeartHospital.com
Cc: Cathlabdigest@aol.com

Our circulator is not required to wear a mask in diagnostic or interventional procedures. Circulators are required to wear mask in AICD, pacemaker implants, and also in biopsy procedures for patients post heart transplant. The scrub person and physicians wear a hat and mask on all diagnostic and interventional procedures (to include pacemakers, AICDs, etc.).

Annie Ruppert, RN, BSN
Sharp Memorial Hospital
San Diego, CA

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From Facebook (www.facebook.com/cathlabdigest)

A reader asks, “Do you have any tips on brachial sheath removal? Or resources I can use to educate staff on tele floors? I can’t seem to find any information on proper techniques.”

Jordan: TR Bands make things easier... check it out!

Davonna: You can use TR Bands on brachial sites?

Tony: As far as I know, you should not use a TR Band on a brachial. Manual pressure is preferred.

Nancy: We use b/p cuffs above site along with manual pressure and stasis patch. I have also been looking for info on this and have found nothing.

Patricia: Have used D-Stat and manual pressure. Put SAT monitor on finger of that arm. I like the thumb. This way you’ll know if you are compressing too hard.

Cath Lab Digest contacted Terumo regarding use of the TR Band, and below is their response:

“The TR Band™ is a compression device to assist hemostasis of the radial artery after a transradial procedure. Use of the TR Band for hemostasis of the brachial artery has not been approved or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.”

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New!

Re: Radial access in a non-interventional lab

I work in a community hospital diagnostic cardiac and interventional peripheral lab. Physician services are provided by interventionalists that work at PCI facilities and have experience with radial access. If a patient requires PCI, the sheath is sutured and the patient is generally transported within 90 minutes to an appropriate facility. As the emphasis and popularity of radial access becomes more evident, we are considering all of the aspects of offering this approach. Given some of the potential issues and logistics of radial access (spasm/dwell time, necessary drug regimens), is there any advice from other diagnostic cardiac cath labs that are offering this approach? The overall expected dwell time for the radial sheath would likely be 2 hours or more. Thank you.

Email: MattWentzel@Ephratahospital.org
Cc: cathlabdigest@aol.com