The 2nd half of 2005: Surprises awaitBut first, the calm of summer & quality improvement

About this time of year, I begin thinking about the fall (working with Cath Lab Digest, you’re always looking a few months ahead) and the contrast between the peace of the summer and the fall frenzy that awaits us in invasive cardiology. It’s hard not to anticipate the always-exciting research to be presented at upcoming symposiums like TCT, AHA, and peripheral meetings VIVA and New Cardiovascular Horizons (NCH). But first, how are things in your lab these days? Based on population migrations according to the seasons, Floridians, I imagine, and perhaps Arizonians, are not jam-packed with patients this time of year, but if you’re in the upper Midwest, probably things are still pretty busy. If you’re experiencing any slackening in the flow of patients, what are you doing to fill those extra minutes, if you’ve got ‘em? What quality improvement projects do you have that are garnerning the most attention? I’ve been thinking along these lines because CLD just heard from Warren Grand, the CCL manager at Passaic Beth Israel Regional Medical Center in New Jersey. He plans to share with CLD readers his lab’s experience in putting together a cath lab patient tracking system to better manage patient flow, QA projects, complications, and so on. He notes, We were able to do this using off-the-shelf supplies, and I seem to recall mention of Ebay! I hope you’ll think about sharing your own project (whether completed or in-process) with our readers, and perhaps inspiring others to follow in your footsteps. While we’re excited about what’s coming up, I don’t want to overlook the excellent and intriguing information in this month’s issue. Authors Dr. Liu and Carolyn Weaver both look ahead to the future of imaging, in ways both anticipated (CT, MRA, PET) and unexpected (radioimaging probes to seek out vulnerable plaque). Dr. Michael Jones discusses drug-eluting stents from the diabetic perspective, and Dave Banko, CPA, shares information about the latest in drug-eluting stent coding for multi-stent, multi-vessel procedures. CLD also features educational updates, with first-hand reporting from the Nurse & Technician Sessions at EuroPCR (May ‘05) and ASOCC (June ‘05). Enjoy! Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant Email: rkapur@hmpcommunications.com

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