Cardiac Cath Lab Staffing Serving Different Healthcare Needs

Are you ready to learn more about nurses who work beyond the bedside? Nurses who work in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab (CCL) play a definitive role in cardiac care. A cath lab is an area of the hospital that basically uses fluoroscopy and contrast dye to check for narrowing/blockages in arteries or veins in the body. With the help of special equipment, cardiac cath lab nurses are able to perform angioplasty (open the arteries with a balloon), place stents, insert IVC filters (a filter that is inserted into a large vein that prevents blood clots that form in the leg from getting to the lungs) as well as inserting pacemakers/ICDs. ICDs are the abbreviation of Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators. These instruments detect if a patient’s heart goes into a lethal rhythm and provides a shock to the heart if necessary to get it beating correctly again. It is true that one needs to be much confident and strong to opt for the Cardiac cath lab staffing course since he/she has to carry different responsibilities in the healthcare facilities.

These medical professionals care for patients, of course! When they are assigned to the nurse role, they are responsible for all things related to patient care & medications during all of the day’s procedures. After the physician arrives, they have to administer conscious sedation, perform all of the charting during the case, monitor patient status during the procedure, as well as give any emergency medications that may be needed during the case. This profession is chosen by people who are quick-witted and ready to react quickly with accuracy. The reason is because patients come in to the cath lab from the ER actively having a heart attack. Within a few minutes, such professionals are able to locate the blocked artery in the heart and open it up, restoring blood flow and improving the patient’s clinical symptoms. Cardiac cath lab nurses get an opportunity to help patients to calm their nerves when they are undergoing this procedure. Most of the patients get pretty nervous as we wheel them into the lab and these medical professionals really take pride in being able to talk to the patients and help them through education or just small talk.

As a cardiac cath lab staffing, there is no specific training, but experience in the cardiovascular field is highly recommended as advanced EKG recognition and knowledge of hemodynamics are a big part of the nurse’s role. A new CCL nurse will more than likely need about 2 months of orientation to be able to function safely and proficiently on his/her own.