What is the size of your EP lab facility and number of staff members? What is the mix of credentials at your lab?
We have one dedicated EP lab with three staff members, including two RNs and one cardiovascular technologist. We are all EP-certified (RCES) by Cardiovascular Credentialing International.

When was the EP lab started at your institution?
The EP lab opened in the fall of 2007, one year after Florida Hospital Zephyrhills started its open-heart program. We have two electrophysiologists on staff: Dr. Nadim Khan and Dr. Dilip Mathew.

What types of procedures are performed at your facility?
We perform all diagnostic and interventional electrophysiology procedures, which include atrial fibrillation ablations and 3D mapping cases. Device implants include loop recorders, pacemakers, ICDs and biventricular devices. On occasion we perform TEEs, cardioversions and NIPS. We have begun to do venoplasty due to the increase in upgrading devices.

What is the primary goal of your program?
Our goal is to provide a full service EP program promoting and providing clinical knowledge of electrophysiology and its expanding aspects to area physicians, patients and the community. We strive to give personal and professional experiences to all our patients and physicians.

Approximately how many are performed each week?
We do 30 to 60 cases per month. In total we perform 200 EP/ablations and over 300 device implants annually.

Who manages your EP lab?
Bonnie McDonald, RN, CEPS (HRS certified), RCES is our clinical coordinator; she has 16 years of EP experience. Florida Hospital Zephyrhills hired her to open and develop the EP lab. She also consults, providing new labs with practical and clinical EP education. Huey Metts, RN, RTR, MBA is our manager of Cardiovascular Services. Gwen Alonso, RN, MSN is our administrative director of Cardiovascular Services. Both are supportive of the staff and the EP program’s needs.

Is the EP lab separate from the cath lab? How long has this been? Are employees cross-trained?
Our EP lab has dedicated staff. We are located within the cath lab area. The EP lab provides support to the cath lab when possible. Members of the cath lab have been trained to scrub all EP procedures; however, the EP staff performs all electrophysiology protocols, stimulation, mapping and recording duties.

What new equipment, devices and/or products have been introduced at your lab lately? How has this changed the way you perform those procedures?
All new equipment was purchased upon opening. We use the EP MedSystems (now St. Jude Medical) workstation/recording system and NurseMate™ for documentation. We were one of the first facilities in the country to use the NurseMate, which is truly geared for EP documentation. The EnSite (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN) is our mapping system, utilizing NavX and the Array. St. Jude Medical/Philips Healthcare ViewFlex is our intracardiac echo unit. Radiofrequency generators include IBI (St. Jude Medical), Maestro (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA) and Stockert (Biosense Webster, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, Diamond Bar, CA). We utilize saline irrigated catheters and pumps including Boston Scientific’s CiruCool 8005, which allows us to perform ablations on congestive heart failure (CHF) patients with fluid intake concerns. We ask our device vendors to use “slave” cables during implants so the physician can view the analyzer recordings.