Worth the Wait? What a Day It Was...

Thursday April 24, 9:32am Place: unknown location FDA announces the approval of the Cypher DES by Cordis. The waiting is over! Thursday April 24, 10:10am Place: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Cardiac Cath Lab Hallway Call comes in from our Cordis Rep: It’s been approved! Thursday April 24, 10:12am Place: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Cardiac Administration Our Financial manager holding a press release from the internet. The word is out. Thursday April 24, 4:20pm Place: Sentara’s fax machine The order is placed for the first distribution of Cypher stents. The wait has begun (again) Thursday April 24, 5:00pm Place: Sentara Materials Management Our shipment will arrive in the morning. The wait is on… Friday April 25, 8:02am Place: Sentara’s loading dock. Inventory tech expecting the shipment. Did I mention we are still waiting? Friday April 25, 8:08am Place: UPS Truck Shane peers into the truck Do you have a Cordis box in there for me?, he asks. Friday April 25, 8:17am Place: Cath Lab Hallway Techs finally get to see the box! Can you say: C-Y-P-H-E-R?! Friday April 25, 8:35am Place: Cardiac Cath Holding Area A patient waits for the pre-op call. (Note: we aren’t the only ones waiting!) Friday April 25, 8:51am Place: Cath Lab Patient prepped and draped and ready. (Now we wait again¦ this time for the cardiologist.) Friday April 25, 9:05am Place: 5th Dimension Cath Lab Suite Angiography results show LAD stenosis Get me a Cypher, says Dr. Hartman. Friday April 25, 9:35am Place: Mid LAD The first Cypher stent deployed! Okay, give me another one… (Financial manager grimaces) Friday April 25, 10:27am Place: Cath Holding Recovery Patient resting comfortably Definitely worth the wait.

NULL