Email Discussion Group: June 2009

There are two new questions this month — take a look and let us know if you can help answer them. You can respond by emailing us at eplabdigest@hotmail.com or also by visiting us at www.eplabdigest.com. Remember, when responding to the discussion group, don’t forget to let us know if you would like your name and/or location listed.

New Questions:

Scope of Practice I am looking for a detailed "Scope of Practice" for the EP/cath lab. I do have the scope of practice offered on the SICP website. — John J. Simon III, MBA RT (CV) RCC Startup Policies & Procedures Our hospital is planning to start an EP program. I am interested in corresponding with EP lab coordinators willing to share information and/or basic policies & procedures in relation to startup efforts. The EP lab is set up, but has been on standby while an EP physician is being sought. Given the possibility of an accelerated startup, I am reaching out for resources and information. Although I have a number of years’ experience in EP, I have been out of the specialty a few years. I will welcome the input and exchange once again with other EP professionals. — Toinette, RT(R), Florida

Under Discussion:

Universal Protocol The 2009 JC standards include more specific language on Universal Protocol and site marking for percutaneous procedures. Are there any EP labs who have adopted site marking as a pre-procedure standard for ablation and device implants? — Lee Anne Hockey, RCIS, RCES (To reply to this question, please type “Universal Protocol” in your subject line.) ICD Patient Protocol I am looking for information and policy and procedures regarding handling of patients in the gastroenterology lab who have implantable cardiac devices, particularly ICDs. Are company reps being called in, or does the staff use magnets to pause the ICD? Any information would greatly be appreciated. — name withheld by request (To reply to this question, please type “ICD Patient Protocol” in your subject line.) Digital Case Storage We’d like to know what other labs are doing with all the digital media generated in their EP labs. We have cases stored on CD for Carto, EnSite and Prucka. Does anyone have a policy regarding how long this information needs to be kept, and what type of storage is being used? — Lauren A. Crooks, RN, Sisters of Charity Providence Hospital, Electrophysiology Lab, Columbia, SC (To reply to this question, please type “Digital Case Storage” in your subject line.) I currently work at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, at the DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center. Here in our EP lab, we are experiencing the same situation. We run five EP labs using the Bard Lab System Pro application and do 3D mapping using Carto and EnSite with Hansen and Stereotaxis. We generate huge files and spend hours and hours archiving and restoring cases when needed. We are currently investigating the possibility of hooking up to a dedicated network and sending all our cases to a hard drive for long-term storage at the end of every case. Our Bio-Med department is currently consulting with the IT department for the feasibility of this. There is probably a huge cost, but it’s a necessary one. — Ronnie Sparrow, RN, CVRN