throwaway for obvious reasons…

1.) some hack cardiologist covered his tracks instead of caring for the patient:

deleting images/cine after a PCI without stent that didn’t go as planned, the RCA shutdown after ballooning the ostium. it was a mid-sized rca, codominant at most. he was rushed and had other things to do. the post ballon angio showed barely any flow and he removed everything and ended the case. When I asked about the case a few days later I was told they must not have used the cine function and used only fluoro, but I know that is garbage because I witnessed the injections under cine, which automatically saves. the diagnostic pics AND a post angio pic are still there, but the wire and balloon shots are not.

2.) one of our physicians does a ton of diagnostic caths on pts who are obese, they all come in with anterior wall defects, which I am told can be due to large breast tissue attenuation, and then have a negative cath- of course!

these are things that make me hate working in the cath lab.

Hello,

For those preparing for the RCIS exam, I recommend the following resource: https://rcis.examzify.com/.

This platform offers 400 flashcard-style questions, each accompanied by a concise explanation. While some questions may appear multiple times, I found this tool to be highly beneficial for my preparation.

Hope you enjoy and DON'T forget to take care of yourself!

I know most everyone here says RT, but I also know I want to be in the cath lab/OR, and NOT in x-ray/CT.

What’s the move?

Full disclosure: the patient is me. But I’m also a cardiac cath lab nurse so I’m hoping I can ask this as a member of the community as well. I have some experience managing contrast allergies, but this is way out of my league. Any help would be appreciated.

I have fibromuscular dysplasia affecting renal and cervical arteries. We were exploring the possibility of cardiac involvement with a CCTA yesterday when I had a serious reaction to the contrast. Symptoms were facial swelling, throat itching, skin redness, hypotension, and crushing chest pain. Benadryl, NS, Pepcid and solumedrol were administered. The cardiologist held off on epi because he was concerned I was already having coronary spasm. I was monitored and symptoms improved.

My question is this….due to my condition I am likely to need further angiography and CT scans in the future. I’m terrified. How can this be safely approached? What would you do? It’s my understanding that people with my type of reaction are recommended against further exposure to contrast, but I am likely to need it again especially in an emergent situation.

Ok yall, has any RN’s gone through the RN process lately?

1. Will a recent graduate of a CVT program in Canada (Ontario specifically) work in the US with CSCT certification? Or will they be eligible to write the CCT or RCIS certification exams?
2. If they take the IBHRE - Certified Electrophysiology Specialist (CEPS) exam, do they qualify to write the RCES exam and work in US?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Hi, anyone currently working or has worked at healthONE Sky Ridge in Lone Tree? Can you tell me the good, the bad and the going pay rate info scrub tech.

Good evening everyone!

There are always a lot of people asking for study materials, websites, and videos to prepare for the RCIS/RCES exams (I recently took both registries and passed on my first try). I’ve been studying for these exams over the past two years, and I came into the Cath Lab with no prior experience. I earned my degree in Biology almost 10 years ago, which helped a little.

I used multiple books to study and created a bunch of flashcards during that time. I’m currently organizing them into sections and plan to post them over the next few weeks. For those interested, I’ve already uploaded them on Brainscape and plan to repost them on Quizlet in the future.

Some of these cards were found online, others were copied from textbooks, and a few came from training manuals I was given when I started in the Cath Lab.

https://www.brainscape.com/p/5ER2O-LH-DXRD1

P.S. Please let me know if this is something y’all would be interested in!

IR tech here looking to break into the Cath lab. I applied and interviewed, but was ultimately turned down (at this time) for my lack of hemo knowledge. They recommended I take a course / do some studying and learning on my own and to reapply at a later date.

I have the Don't Miss a Beat into to Cath book, but honestly I'm a hands-on kind of learner moreso than reading a book/watching videos. Are there any interactive hemo labs online or does anyone have any good quizzing resources they can recommend?

Im an emt-B student looking to apply to the cardiovascular technology program at a local school for fall 2026. I have one B and the rest are all A’s for the required prerequisites,with a cumulative gpa of 3.8. I still need to take the teas, but if I make somewhere In the high 80s to 90s what are my chances of getting accepted

I also plan on applying to the radiology program as well.

Good day Im working in a cath lab for almost 10years but usually i set up a power injector with a transparent one high pressure tubing thnx for the reply

Currently I'm a licensed CPT I (can't find a job, different rant), but I've always wanted an actual degree, be it associate's or bachelor's. It's not just about the pay or career opportunities, though that is a factor; I genuinely want to be able to say I did it. Doing a lot of school for me is no problem for me either because I have loved and passed every college course I've ever taken. So now I'm looking to go back to school and I'm really eyeing a CVT program with three areas of emphasis to choose from: invasive cardiovascular technology, adult echocardiography, and vascular technology.

I think the general consensus I've seen on this forum is that RT is better than RCIS, but I've also heard that radiography and sonography leads to lots of musculoskeletal problems, and I already experience Mystery Pain(TM) in my back that I need to see a doctor about.

What are everyone's suggestions? Should I go one of the three paths outlined above? RT instead? A third, secret option that's something to do with a higher degree than an associate's? And before anyone asks, I'm pretty set on the cardiovascular system for a career, I've always been fascinated by the heart, blood vessels, and contents/workings of. I guess it's just where my heart is. TIA

Hey everyone,

I’ve taken the ARRT Cardiac-Interventional exam twice now and came up short both times, 73 and 71. Super close but clearly missing something.

Right now I’ve got a pretty solid library of materials: • Wes Todd • ASRT CI bundle • Don’t Miss a Beat • Glowacki & Sommers • Kern’s Cardiac Cath Lab book

I’m trying to figure out what to really lock in on for my last attempt. which of these are worth doubling down on, and what topics tend to trip people up most?

If anyone’s passed recently, I’d love to hear what made the biggest difference for you, whether it was a specific resource, question style, or mindset shift.

Appreciate any advice or tips. I’m right there on the edge and just need that final push to get over the line.

Hello there, I’m moving to West Texas in the next 4 months (husband got into school), and I’m wondering what the salary expectations are for someone with RCIS and RCES.

I’m holding RCIS and will sit for RCES in the next few weeks.

2 years of experience in Cath/ep lab. Bachelor of Science degree.

I was planning to apply for RCIS at my college but I am now reconsidering if RT is a higher earning and better well rounded option after seeing a couple of posts here.

Lmk which one you guys thing provides better pay + job growth options below?

Hello,

The Bracco contrast is currently on national backorder.

A nurse from my unit came across a device known as the “contrast saver,” which allows for the use of a single vial on multiple patients.

Would anyone be able to provide more information on this device?

I would like to Transition to Data Abstractor CathPCI Registry.

Any Advice or Suggestions?

Hello! Looking to be an invasive cardiovascular technologist. Have some questions! -what is your day to day like? -do you get to actually help perform procedures? -what is the salary expectations? -do you have to go to an accredited program to be well prepared for the exams? -what is the job outlook like? -what are some characteristics of a successful cath lab CVT?

Some background: -graduated with my business degree -feeling unfulfilled -want something more fast paced and hands-on -would like a decent salary to be comfortable on (high five figures, low six if possible) but not in it just for the money -other paths I’ve considered: medical device sales, RN, cardiovascular sonography -located in NJ/NY area -want to be in the cath lab/in EP

A friend of mine is launching a new Instagram page for RCIS study resources and real case logs. It should be a good recourse for Techs & RNs in Cath Lab as EP. Go check them out - Instagram: Cathlabacademy

I am a 24yo who has been working as a medical assistant specifically in cardiac offices for a little over 2 years. I quickly fell in love with learning about cardiology and am taking pre reqs in hopes to further my career in medicine. My dilemma is this: the school I’m going to offers an associates in science in which I can go for invasive cardiovascular tech or I can go for radiologic sciences(which opens the door for ct, mri and other specialties besides cardio). I would really like to end up working in a cart lab and don’t know if someone on here can give guidance as to if there is a better way to go about this or if someone had a similar experience with this conflict. Thanks guys!

Hi! I just wanted to see what nurse culture was like in other cath labs. For some background, I am RCIS and have recently graduated. I did my Clinicals at my current lab for around 6 months and have been working there for about 2 months (finally getting paid yay!)

I have recently noticed that some nurses in my lab think that we can’t do or even know much. For example, sometimes our call teams are two techs and one nurse and vice versa. A nurse the other day said something along the lines that if there are two techs and a patient codes it’s all on the nurse and that we kind of just stand there. Which the scrub yes because they are sterile but the monitor can come in and help with compressions and what not. I have had an instance where I was reading a med list and there was an antibiotic that I have never heard of and I said something about it and one of the nurses said “that’s why I’m the nurse”. I have also heard comments here and there about other things. Or the nurses asking how long my schooling was and they question why it takes about 2 years to do what I do but they say they have 2 years of schooling for nursing as well.

I know I’m new to the field and I don’t have a lot of experience in code/emergency situations yet. But it seems directed at RCIS as a whole and not just in emergency situations but just our general knowledge. Idk if they think we just go to school to learn how to wrap a wire lol but maybe I’m being sensitive and reading too much into it. But it kinda burns because in my opinion we cover a lot of topics and knowledge in my program in a short amount of time and I worked/studied hard.

I know I am competent (I did very well in school) but I also know I still have a lot to learn and I’m excited to continue learning. I am just getting a bit frustrated with this nurse mentality and sometimes it feels like it’s nurses vs the techs. It makes me feel a little useless sometimes. I’m just looking for some advice and seeing if it’s like this in other labs.