Cardiac Cath Lab

baseline · Dec 16, 2002

NurseGirlKaren · Dec 28, 2002

Me! I have been there for 1 1/2 yrs and love it. We do all the preprocedure, recovery, and intraprocedure care. During the procedure it's just us and the doc and tech in the room (tech scrubs and pans), so we do the monitoring and the meds.

What else do you want to know?

baseline · Dec 28, 2002

arkgolfer · Jan 6, 2003

I worked in one for about 4 years. Bar none the best nursing job in our hospital. I only left to prepare better for anesthesia school.

RNCENCCRNNREMTP · Apr 21, 2003

Patient prep (pre room and on table)

Sedation

Monitoring (EKG and Pressures)

Calculate CO

Calculate valve area

Calculate shunt

Defib

Pace

Resuscitate

Assist with IABP placement and use

Scrub in and assist with cath

Post procedure monitoring

Sheath removal and sheath site care

Patient education

Transport

CCL"Babe", BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2003

Left ER for Cath Lab 6 years ago. Absolutely my favorite job.

Our lab is an interventional lab. We also do a fair amount of research, which can be a pain at times.

RNs rotate between several jobs, these include;

Prep and recover patients.

EP studies, cardioversions, TEE, dobutamine stress assists.

Assist with evaluations of AICDs. Pacer implantations and tilt table procedures.

Scrub in and assist with caths and interventions, rotablators, stents, angiojets, IVUS, etc.

Monitor cases.

Circulate cases.

Administer conscious sedation.

Assist with IABP insertions.

Emergency interventions, temp pacer insertions.

CCL"Babe", BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2003

I forgot, we also do peripheral studies and interventions.

JoL · Jun 15, 2003

I work in a Cath Lab in Middlesbrough and enjoy it the work is varied I was a Health Care Assistant. I am now undertaking a Foundation Degree at the University of Teesside and are a Foundation Degree Student I scurb for LHC and PCI assisted at the moment:D I also perform E.C.G,s and have basic E.C.G recognition, aterial sheath removal, pt observations, circulate cases, patient education and lots of other duties to many to mention. Love it

Taryn · Jun 22, 2003

Another cath lab nurse here...currently working as a traveler.

Have worked in a few different labs over the years.

Some places have the nurses monitor,circulate and scrub.

Some only circulate.

The place I am now allows me to do all of the above.

I just started working in this lab and they seem to be really short on scrub people so it looks like that may be most of what I do for the next 12 weeks.