Adult Cardiac Catheterization Lab

The Adult Cardiac Catheterization Lab (Cath Lab) includes three procedure suites, located on the 2nd floor of the HVN Hospital. The Cath Lab is dedicated to invasive cardiovascular diagnosis and intervention for the inpatient and outpatient adult population. Hours of operation are 7am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday, with 24 hour emergency on-call services.

Description of Patient Populations

Cath procedures are performed on adult patients from all acuity levels. Patients arrive in the Cath Lab from various locations. These include but are not limited to: home, hospital to hospital, emergency department, clinics, inpatient units and intensive care units.
Common diagnoses of patients receiving care in the Cath Lab include myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, valvular disease, peripheral vascular disease, cardiomyopathy, post heart transplant, structural heart and congenital defects.

Nursing Care

Nursing care is focused on patient care intra-procedure. Routine duties include but are not limited to medication administration, hemodynamic and respiratory management, and administration and monitoring of moderate sedation, under the direction of an attending physician.

Health Care Team

The Cath Lab medical director is board-certified in his/her respective area. Intra-procedural care is provided by an attending cardiologist, cardiac fellows, RNs, and Cardiovascular Technologists (CVTs). Multidisciplinary, comprehensive care of patients and families is provided by medicine, nursing, social work services, case management, pastoral care, food & nutritional services, pharmacy, rehab services, cardiopulmonary services, and other health care providers as indicated by the patient’s health status and identified needs.

Nursing management for the unit includes a Nurse Manager and the Director of Cardiovascular Services. The Cath Lab is under the umbrella of the Operations Division with nursing oversight from the CNO. Staff educational requirements are defined by the unit/role specific job descriptions and departmental education plan.

Basic requirements for RN staff include current Florida RN licensure, current ACLS, and BLS.
Basic requirements for CVT staff include completion of an approved allied health program, current registration from Cardiovascular Credentialing International, current ACLS and BLS.

Staffing Plan

The cath lab procedural team includes a minimum of one RN and two CVTs. Procedure team assignments are made by the Charge RN or CVT. Emergency and off-hour cases are performed by a night team consisting of a minimum of 2 CVTs and 1 RN 2300 – 0700 Sunday-Thursday. An on call- team consisting of a minimum of 1 RN and 2 CVTs cover emergency cases all off hours not routinely staffed.

Staffing Decision Points

Requests for Paid Time off (PTO) will be reviewed on a case by case basis and will consider the staffing needs of the unit. Requests are granted only if minimum staffing numbers are maintained with coverage that does not incur overtime.

When assessing staffing at “break points” take into consideration the following: Planned admissions (H-H’s), skill level of staff, shift involved, acuity of pts, available resources.

Review date: 1/5/2021

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