January 1999 Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 3 January 1999 IEPR Coordinator Corner Louanne Tempich, LPN, RCVT University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Site 23 This issue we are spotlighting Louanne Tempich, LPN, RCVT of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Louanne is the EECP Supervisor under Medical Director Dr. Lawrence Crawford. In the EECP lab, there are two treatment systems for commercial treatment and two for research. Loaunnce was born and raised in Canada and worked there for 12 years as an LPN before moving to Pittsburgh in 1995 with her husband, Alan who was transferred with the H.J. Heinz Company. They have three children, Maegan, Matthew, and Courtney. Maegan is a freshman in the school of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh, Matthew is a freshman at Penn State University, school of Engineering, computer science, and Courtney is a sophomore in high school. Louanne has been employed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since 1996, where they have treated over 100 patients with EECP. Sbe has many grateful patients as the following peom, written by one patient, shows. "Reflections on my EECP" Now that my EECP is over I can throw away my four-leaf clover There was that infernal shaking machine Like being beaten by a hammer's ball peen Which made me utter words obscene With caring ministrations by Louanne Tempich 35 times in a row without respite To help my wounded and ailing heart Vasomedical equipment has done its part Headed by Sir Lawrence, the Cleveland Flash A man possessed of verve and dash And one who doesn't do anything rash A cardiologist with a sense of humor and skill In us, confidence he does instill His personality and agility just fit the bill The EECP program is sure to be successful With meaningful result which are not bull We have been pleased to participate And our expectations are great We say thank you one and all Who have devised and carried the ball For those of us with heart afflictions Enabling us to live with lesser restrictions We write this tribute in honor of Louanne Tempich Without whose help we couldn't have made it God bless and amen with all blessings To her which are both appropriate and fit Thank you Louanne for a job well done You have a shining spot in our sun. Presenting....The New IEPR Logo!The New IEPR Logo! Notice anything different about the newsletter this issue? It has to be the new logo! A logo was contructed combining submissions from Joanne Giordano, LPN, site 29 coordinator. She crafted some ideas that conveyed the meaning and functions of the registry into one design. The result is the spectacular logo you see here on the front page. Congratulations to Joanne for her wonderful submissions! Win a trip to this year's AHA Scientific Sessions! Six-month compliance contest set to begin on February 1, 1999. Contest specifics were faxed to the centers earlier this month. One winner will be randomly deawn from those with 100% compliance on all EECP forms for a trip to this year's AHA Scientific Sessions held in Atlanta, Georgia in November 1999. Questions and Answers Q. If a patient returns for a second or third course of treatment, is a follow-up required for each course of treatment? A. No, follow-up is only required on a patient's first course of treatment, regardless of how many course they undergo. Follow-up contact is then dated from the last day of the patient's treatment. Q. Does the screening log have to be faxed to the Coordinating Center even if no patients have been treated during the last month? A. Yes, even though no patients were treated, the screening log is used to inform the Coordinating Center that no patients have been treated. New IEPR Centers! A warm greeting to our newest centers: Anicore in Indianapolis, IN; led by Stanley Adkins, MD and coordinator, Pam Ward. Adventist Outpatient Cardiac Services in Rockville, MD; led by Dennis Friedman, MD and coordinator, Nancy Lauzon, RN. Falmouth Cardiology in Falmouth, MA; led by Bruce Levy, MD and coordinator, Joanne Madden, RN, MSN. Cardiology Associates, in Johnson City, NY; led by Richard Ryder, MD and coordinator, Deborah Norris, RN. Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, ME; led by Mark Lanzieri, MD and coordinator, Emily French, RN. Helix Health Center in Carmel, IN; led by Norman Glanzman, MD and coordinator, Ann Schwab, RN. Ash Heart Center in New York, NY; led by Patrick Fratellone, MD and coordinator Spencer Liebman. Advanced Heart Care in Paris, TX; led by Jeffrey Gladden, MD and coordinator Gina Pritchard, NP. Consultants in Cardiology, Inc. in Erie, PA; led by James MacKrell, MD and coordinator Sylvia Rumberger, RN. Welcome aboard! ACC Scientific Sessions March 6-10, 1999 New Orleans, LA The American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions are being held March 6-10 There will be an investigators' meeting held on March 9 at 12:00 noon. A buffet lunch will be served. Reminder! Please be advised that screening logs are now due by the 5th of each month. This is required regardless of the number of patients you are treating. If your center has not treated any patients since the last screening log was faxed, simply draw a line under the last patient and initial and date. Thank you for your cooperation. (Please refer to your Manual of Operations and Operations Memo #4). Note on Data Forms Please note that all forms are required unless you are instructed otherwise. Post-EECP forms are required after a patient completes a prescribed course of treatment, discontinues becuse of a clinical or other event, or misses more than 5 consecutive treatments. Follow-up forms must be completed for every patients regardless of whether a patient does one treatment or 50 treatments. Any questions please contact Lisa Kennard (412-624-5217) or Nichole Dwyer (412-624-3764). Recruitment Chart AHA Scientific Sessions IEPR Director, Sheryl F. Kelsey, Ph.D. In November 1998, the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) were held in Dallas, Texas. At this 71st annual meeting, the attendance was close to 30,000 physicians, nurses, technicians, clinical and laboratory scientists, as well as industry exhibitors. Lectures and presentations of the latest in medical advances related to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke draw large audiences as do the exhibits with treatment systems such as EECP and heart-healthy foods such as cholesterol-lowering margarine and ostrich meat (fairly tasty). Multicenter research projects such as the International EECP Patient Registry find it convenient to meet at the time of the AHA since researchers from around the country and around the world are in the same city for a few days. Since the rules of the AHA are that meetings for research projects can't be held at the same time as the scientific presentations, gatherings are scheduled from 6-8 a.m., at lunch time or late at night - often until midnight. Luckily the IEPR investigators and coordinators met at lunch time. This meeting provided the opportunity for the Coordinating Center to present the intriguing preliminary data from the first year of registry operation and to discuss the issues with clinicians who are overseeing EECP and the coordinators who are collecting data for the Registry. After attending nearly 20 AHA meetings during my career, I have learned that the most important things to bring are a good pair of walking shoes (the convention center seems to stretch for miles and miles) and an alarm clock for those 6 a.m. research meetings. International EECP Patient Registry Chairman of Steering Committee Jonathan R. Jaffe, MD, FACC Editorial Staff: University of Pittsburgh Nichole Dwyer, BA Elizabeth Kennard, PhD Design and Production Nichole Dwyer, BA Sponsor Office: Vasomedical, Inc. Anthony Peacock, Vice President of Clinical Affairs Gudrun Lang, RN, BSN, Manager of Clinical Affairs IEPR Coordinating Center University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Epidemiology Data Center Sheryl F. Kelsey, PhD, Principal Investigator, Registry Director Richard Holubkov, PhD, Biostatistician Elizabeth Kennard, PhD, Registry Coordinator Nichole Dwyer, BA, Data Manager