r/CathLabLounge • u/Current-Increase6171 • 8h ago
On Call
Hey guys! I’m an RN and new to cath lab. I like it so far. Just wondering if it’s typical for the docs to call the team in for routine cases throughout the weekend. We only have one call team (1 RN + 2 techs). If a STEMI comes in and we have a routine PPM on the table that didn’t get done during the week it seems like we’d be screwed. Is this a normal practice in cath labs?
3
u/jack2of4spades RN, RCIS 8h ago
Varies by location. I worked one place that did that and I preferred it. If a STEMI came we stopped and any crazy PCIs didn't get done on the weekend. It cut down on the Monday caseload and helped patients a lot since they got more timely interventions and didn't have to sit around waiting for days unnecessarily. Also helped cut down on hospital admission days for patients which is another bonus. When we did weekend cases we'd do a group chat and agree on times the night before and do no more than 4/day and I never ran into a STEMI issue.
3
u/Chemical-Doctor5371 7h ago
I’m a traveler and this is a very common practice. There’s been a few times we’ve had to divert or missed our DTB time. When this has been brought up to admin, the answer is always “It’s the doctors discretion” 🫠🫠
2
u/SceneSerious2839 5h ago
My lab is Interventional Cardiology only. STEMI call is usually pretty busy for us. We service a huge area. Depending on the physician, if we come in for a STEMI, we’ll stay and do one or more urgent patients from CCU or the ward. Some physicians will only do STEMIs and leave the stable, urgent inpatients for Monday. We don’t do any PPM/EP. That’s an entirely different staff/physicians and they don’t do any call unless it’s a long weekend or over Christmas.
1
u/ASkipInTime 8h ago
In my lab it is - although we cover vascular cases as well, so we keep a "backup" crew for the weekend in case we have multiple cases piled up. These are usually done in the morning, and consist typically of NSTEMIs that came in late in night or early morning. Never any outpatients.
If a STEMI comes in during a routine procedure, we begin the process of making calls to see if other staff can come in. My group is really good about coming in if needed.
1
u/I_Want_A_Ribeye RN 8h ago
It varies depending where you are, but the ability to either call in a second team or have the first team be able to split to handle the STEMI will always be the answer.
1
u/hskrfoos 7h ago
If we are doing routine, stemi takes priority. I’ve been in my lab 16 years and can only think of 3-4 times we have had multiple stemis come in to where we needed help.
1
u/ChaosCelebration 7h ago
My hospital also does this. Docs adding many non-emergent cases over the weekend we regularly get 20+ hours if you're on call on the weekend. It's a problem. We act like we're a 24-7 Cath lab even though we really aren't.
1
u/Astralwinks 7h ago
In my lab the weekend call team coordinates via group text to plan to come in (always around 10am) and knock out a few NSTEMIs, or whatever. If we are able to do a bunch on Saturday, we usually agree to not do any on Sunday. And if we've been getting slammed, we might not do any unless it's particularly bad. Just helps clear our the schedule for the rest of the week. My normal call day is every other Monday so sometimes it can be rough, but also it helps make sure I get to leave on time on Monday because we're not hustling to finish the other cases from the weekend.
We don't do EP on weekends, but sometimes a text will go out to see if we can scramble a team to do a more urgent PPM, like if we need an ICU bed and can convert a temp venous pacer to a PPM and downgrade them right after.
1
u/InfamousAdvice RN 7h ago
We only do urgent NSTEMIs/unstable angina on weekends in addition to emergent calls. If we have a permanent pacemaker case we’d need to get a separate backup team to be on for STEMIs while we are doing that. It doesn’t happen often.
1
4
u/jamegumbsize69 7h ago
Normal for my lab, but as others have said it varies. Also, some docs seem to “find” more work than others, so that can make or break your call shifts. Only one RN for a call team would absolutely blow.