What prompted these two companies to merge?
Both companies were doing well on their own, and both had come through the FDA supplemental validation process to a point where their products were fully returned to the market, so this merger was not out of any weakness. We saw that both companies were making large investments and increasing their field service organizations to better service hospitals, and that there was a real economy of scale if we could do that together. We saw that both companies had products the other company did not have, and each company s customers were askin

Heart failure is a progressive disorder that affects 6-10% of the population over the age of 65.¹ Biventricular pacemakers are approved for use in patients with advanced heart failure that is refractory to medical therapy when cardiac contraction is dyssynchronous, manifested by QRS duration > 130 ms.² They differ from conventional permanent pacemakers by virtue of having a third lead that is inserted into the epicardial surface of the left ventricle via the coronary venous system. Pacing stimulation of the right and left ventricles by the biventricular pacemak

What is the size of your EP lab facility and number of staff members? What is the mix of credentials at your lab?
Currently, we have 5 staff members consisting of 2 nurses and 3 radiology technologists. We are part of a large cath lab consisting of 5 procedure rooms. All 15 RNs in the lab rotate through and circulate during EP cases.

When was the EP lab started at your institution?
Our lab first started doing EP studies in 1998, when Dr. Joey Trantham came to Bay Medical Center. Dr. Hari Baddigam came in 2002, and both cardiologists are board-certified in Electrophysiol

For most of my clinical career, there were very established guidelines for who needed a pacemaker and who did not. Guidelines from the leading specialty society are still one of the most important reference works for a clinician. The American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society jointly issue guidelines on pacemakers (available on the websites of these organizations).
Back in the olden days, people with symptomatic bradycardia caused by sick sinus syndrome or advanced A-V block were the only pacing candidates. We also had pretty established ideas as

Heller et al. indicated that for some patients, the shock is not preceded by symptoms of any kind and is without warning; others develop symptoms of tachyarrhythmia and often await the shock with trepidation. The situation creates an experience of ambivalence: without the device, the patient may die, but with the device, there is constant anticipation that the device will fire. The fear and anticipation of shock can lead to psychological and emotional problems that are unique to this population. Many in the psychological community^4-6 and those in the cardiology community<

Temporary pacemakers are associated with high complication rates, and if pacing is required for more than 24 hours, the need for repeat intervention to reposition the lead or re-site the venous access is relatively commonplace.^1-4 We describe a case where an alternative approach was taken to anticipated prolonged temporary pacing.

Case Report
A 79-year-old man presented to hospital with a history of weight loss and fever. He had undergone aortic valve replacement with a porcine prosthesis two years prior for infective endocarditis. On examination he appeared

Review of Literature
Reports of the existence of PLSVC have been documented and submitted to various respected medical publications. In a 2003 review of literature, Rajit Pahwa and Anand Kumar reported that PLSVC occurs 0.3% in individuals with a normal heart and 4.5% in individuals with congenital heart disease.² This anomaly is considered to originate during the embryonic stage. During this period of development, blood is normally drained from the upper body by two cardinal veins, the left anterior cardinal vein would drain blood from the left cephalic area. If the left ca

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