It looks like 2005 is going to be a busy year — our email discussion group is already buzzing with questions and responses! This month we are able to provide you with even more answers to our readers’ questions on R2 pads and Propofol. In addition, please take a look at the two new questions for discussion.

At the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, rapid changes in implantable device technology are an expected and routine part of the practice in the cardiac lab as well as the patient care areas.

In this article, the authors have provided a case report on treating congestive heart failure with left atrial and right ventricular pacing.

For the first installment of our new Pediatric Electrophysiology monthly section, we are bringing you an interview with pediatric electrophysiologist Dr. Beth Bubolz to learn about the specialized field of pediatric EP.

The workforce shortage in healthcare, and specifically, hospitals today, is a burning issue on the minds of many healthcare leaders. Currently, many people are not entering into a career in healthcare or are leaving the healthcare industry. The most frequently cited reasons people give for leaving healthcare are: the work is too demanding, feeling undervalued, and issues with compensation. Nursing retention surveys show that only 36% of nurses who are planning to leave their job are planning to look for their next position in another hospital. While there are many approaches to retention strategies, I would like to focus on the expansion of technology and communication as tools for reducing employee stress and potential medical error.

In this month’s interview, we are profiling Dr. Mark Harvey, who is the primary cardiac electrophysiology specialist with Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates and the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. Dr. Harvey is also involved in other aspects of the medical community; he is actively involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Astatement was approved in October 2004 by a group representing the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), the American Heart Association (AHA), the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), proposing a plan for insuring clinical competence and training for physicians who perform fluoroscopically guided invasive procedures.¹ This group was charged with the development of a document that would outline a curriculum for a physician knowledge base which ideally would optimize both patient safety and image quality.

Dr. Phil Saul gives us a tour of the Children's Heart Hospital, located at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).