We have three new questions posted this month; let us know if you can help provide any insight into them. If you would like to respond, please email us at eplabdigest@hotmail.com or go to www.eplabdigest.com and click on the email discussion group link. Remember, when posting or responding to the discussion group, please let me know if you would like your name, location, and/or email address listed as well. We hope to hear from you soon!

In this article, the authors describe the need for multidisciplinary care for the CRT patient and provide an overview on the first of its kind integrated CRT program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Author Brock Tice, who originally contributed to our August 2005 issue of EP Lab Digest, describes his Computational Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab's experience leaving Tulane University during and after Hurricane Katrina. For more information, please check out his EP blog: “www.virtuallyshocking.com”.

In this continuing series on electrophysiology training programs around the country, EP Lab Digest highlights another educational program, this time in Austin, Texas. In this issue, we feature the new EP technology training program at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI).

While it is mandatory for electrophysiology lab staff to receive an appropriate medical education, perhaps not enough emphasis is put into educating the EP patient or all cardiac patients as well. However, a patient who is knowledgable about their medical condition may fare better in the long run if given the right tools to keep healthy and prevent further disease. The new Kouchoukos Cardiac Education Center at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center is one example of innovative patient education. This center provides an informational hub for EP patients, their families, and the community to learn about heart conditions. This article continues EP Lab Digest’s look into patient education programs located across the country. It is important that these types of opportunities for patients exist; perhaps in the future a similar educational program will be incorporated at a hospital near you.

Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Electrophysiology Program, started only two years ago, has quickly developed into one of the most advanced EP labs in the nation. A decision to acquire the Stereotaxis Niobe^® II magnetic navigation system (MNS; Stereotaxis, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri) has been an important component in building a state-of-the art ablation center. With successful integration of the MNS into the EP lab, the original reasons for obtaining the Stereotaxis system have evolved from a desire to provide the most sophisticated technology to our patients, to an appreciation of this technology as a superior way of practicing EP in general. In this article we will share our experience and impressions in utilizing the system at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC).