May 2004

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Volume 4 Issue 5

Editorial Staff

Clinical Editor
Bradley Knight, MD
Executive Editor
Laurie Gustafson
Managing Editor
Jodie Elrod
Production Manager
Alexa Flinn

Editorial Correspondence

Jodie Elrod, Managing Editor, EP Lab Digest
HMP Communications, 70 E. Swedesford Rd
Suite 100, Malvern PA 19355
Telephone: (800) 371-0791

Fax: (866) 488-8273
Email: jelrod@hmpglobal.com
Spotlight on the EP Physician
Dear readers, It s the most wonderful time of the year in the field of electrophysiology, that is. The annual Naspe-Heart Rhythm Society meeting is here. The first article featured in this issue is a special conversation with Peggy Strieper, DO. I…
May-04
SCD-HeFT Study Yields Clues on Expanded Defibrillator Use Following a landmark study in March that showed far more patients could be saved by simple shocks from implantable defibrillators, officials must now determine who would best benefit from th…
Cross Training in Today's EP Lab
Readers, is your lab a dedicated EP lab or is it shared with the Cath Lab? We are finding that many EP labs these days are now separate from the Cath Lab. The following accounts of cross training in the electrophysiology lab were taken from Spotlight…
Stump the Experts
Can you guess what is occuring in this electrocardiogram? In this monthly section, a difficult EP image is provided for our readers to identify. Send us your responses we will publish the answer in next month s issue! Description: A 60-year-old f…
Email Discussion Group
Readers, thank you for your emails! This month, we have two new interesting questions for discussion. However, please do not limit yourself to just these; we are also including two of our previous questions still under discussion. If you have inform…
What's New with Antiarrhythmic Drugs?
The information gleaned from the study of anti-arrhythmic drugs is often complicated by the multiple mechanisms by which arrhythmias are generated, and by the fact that we often do not fully understand the relationship between risks and benefits of a…
Using Cryoablation to Treat Pediatric Patients: Interview with Peggy Strieper, DO, Director of Pacing and Electrophysiology
Cryoablation is making its way as the preferred technology in the treatment of arrhythmias. Dr. Strieper, of Children s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), recently began using the procedure in pediatric patients. In this article, she describes the procedu…
Left Atrial Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation Guided by EnSite NavX with Digital Image Fusion
Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in humans, with a prevalence of 1% in the general population, and is associated with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality.1 The impressive results of surgical MAZE procedures in…
St. Peter's Hospital
In this interview, this dedicated EP lab takes time to remember Dr. Brian McGovern, who was involved with starting the program in 1990. What is the size of your EP lab facility and number of staff members? What is the mix of credentials at your lab…
Tricks of the Trade with Difficult Pacemaker Access
Occasionally, access may be difficult during a permanent pacemaker implant. Knowing the tricks of the trade are very important in order to perform an apparently complicated procedure quite easily. Case Management. This patient is a 75-year-old woma…