Letter from the Editor

Hug a cardiovascular professional! The week of Valentine™s Day is officially designated as a time to celebrate the contributions cardiovascular professionals make each day to the health and well-being of our society. If your lab normally lets the week go by without fanfare, suggest a celebration be held. If your lab recognizes Cardiovascular Professionals Week, let us know just how you™ve been feted. We™ll communicate your ideas to readers. In our February issue, Cath Lab Digest shares a vision of the future and an argument in favor of allowing invasive cardiologists to train for and treat ischemic stroke. As we all know, cardiologists in the cath lab can™t go it alone, which means training cath lab professionals in this area as well. Patti Ludwig-Beymer and colleagues report on patients™ perceptions of their own treatment and ability to function both before and after coronary intervention. The good news is that patients note their quality of life improves as a result of treatment, but results showed a decline in the area of treatment satisfaction. Ludwig-Beymer suggests that while further study in this area is needed, it may be a result of unrealistic expectations on the part of patients, and a possible consequence of inadequate communication between clinicans and patients. The Cath Lab Digest Email Discussion Group tackles pre and post procedure holding areas this month. We also have some interesting news regarding a new JCAHO focus on infection control in our Industry News section. Bernie Gerhki discusses the placement of cath labs within the larger structure of an entire hospital facility, as well as trends regarding which departments should be adjacent to cath labs. It™s a great question, and like many questions in this field, answers vary from facility to facility. Enjoy! Rebecca Yospyn, Managing Editor Cath Lab Digest cathlabdigest@aol.com