JC30 Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Are PAs allowed to install and/or change-out pacemakers? I saw a PM procedure today, and it seemed like a relatively simple procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Seems simple but the potential complications can be fatal. There are PAs that do it but it is the extreme exception to the norm. The reimbursement issue aside, I can't imagine many facilities that would credential a nonphysician to insert a PPM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC30 Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 How about inserting temporary internal pacemakers during an emergency? Aside from first assisting, are there any invasive or slightly-invasive procedures for which PAs are trained and allowed to perform (in terms of cardiology/ct surgery)? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Transvenous pacer wire insertion is more commonly performed by PAs than PPMs. Again, this would be dictated by facility credentialing. Most common procedures for CT PAs are Conduit harvest (endoscopic or open, typically saphenous vein or radial artery) Central venous lines arterial lines PA catheter placement chest tubes thoracentesis bedside ultrasound/echo aside from these there is whatever OR duties are delegated by the surgeon you work with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxtechhk Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 I do pacemaker and ICD generator changes without any physician scrubbed however he is present in room (I am an EP pa) it would be great to have privileges to do it completely independently don't know if it's possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houstonian Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Do you actually have hospital privileges to do this? May I ask at what hospital? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelRz Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I'm currently in school to become a PA and I was wondering also what can a PA do in surgery are they standing there and giving the doctor the tools needed? If so what is the scrub nurse doing than? Also how many PAs are in the room when the doctor is operating? Do they take turns doing limited procuders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonlegit Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I'm currently in school to become a PA and I was wondering also what can a PA do in surgery are they standing there and giving the doctor the tools needed? If so what is the scrub nurse doing than? Also how many PAs are in the room when the doctor is operating? Do they take turns doing limited procuders? Those questions sounds like they need to be answered with some time spent shadowing! The more time spent with different PAs the better you will see that overall flow and work environment. I followed a CT PA for a day and what I recall them doing for a off pump CABG was vein harvest (saphenous), directly assisting the surgeon, and a lot of the closure (independently towards the end), and I believe that was it. Anesthesia started the lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I'm currently in school to become a PA and I was wondering also what can a PA do in surgery are they standing there and giving the doctor the tools needed? If so what is the scrub nurse doing than? Also how many PAs are in the room when the doctor is operating? Do they take turns doing limited procuders? The scrub is passing instruments, the PA doesn't do this. A lot is facility privileging dependent, but some cases are "PA only" and the surgeon needs to be on campus/available. Tunneled line insertion is a good example. As someone above mentioned, doing device swap outs is another. I have only known of one PA who did pacer insertions. All surgical jobs require some degree of first assisting, and intraoperative duties for the PA advance as their skill set and comfort level of the surgeon advance. Usually one PA in a case but there may be more depending on how many fields are being operated on (eg heart case with saphenous vein and radial artery harvested simultaneously) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelRz Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Thank you and I do need to shadow a PA I'm currently a CNA at a hospital but the PA works during the day and I work at night plus full time student... Also is hard finding them because I asked people around my job what department they work in but no one can really say... Also I was reading that there trying to have "doctors without borders." But for PAs do know anything about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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