Clinical nurse specialists - electrophysiology
Harefield Hospital
- Natalie Crump
- Sue King
Royal Brompton Hospital
- Sarah Plowright
- Alexandra Wise
The first clinical nurse specialist in electrophysiology (EP) began cross-site at the Trust in 2006. In 2012 two more CNSs were employed - one at Harefield and the other at Royal Brompton.
The CNS supports inpatients and outpatients who have a cardiac arrhythmia and may require investigations and/or an intervention such as a cardioversion or catheter ablation.
These arrhythmias include:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF)
- Atrial flutter
- Atrial tachycardia’s
- Atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia (AVNRT)
- Atrioventricular re-entry tachycardia (AVRT)
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW)
- Right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia (RVOT) and left ventricular outflow tract tachycardia (LVOT)
Prior to any intervention patients will receive a pre-admission letter informing them about when to come in and any special instructions for example medication changes that may need to be made.
Services include:
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Post-ablation and post-device implantation follow-up clinics
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Advice and support
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Hospital outreach
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Pre-assessment
In addition, the CNSs at Royal Brompton also provide:
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Support for device patients (PPM, CRT-D, CRT- P, ICD)
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Support for patients undergoing EP/ablation
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A helpline for device patients (Mon-Fri 8.00am-6.00pm)
Pre-admission clinic
The majority of those that are waiting for an AF ablation will attend a pre-admission clinic. This is a nurse-led clinic that is run in the outpatient department. The appointment is approximately 2-4 weeks prior to the procedure. At this appointment a general history is taken, bloods and MRSA swabs are also taken. The patient will also be seen by a pharmacist who will go through the medications. All of this ensures a streamlined pathway for the patient and can highlight any problems prior to admission.
Admission
Those patients that have not been seen in the pre-admission clinic will be seen by the EP nurse on the ward during their admission. This is a time for questions to be answered and post-procedural care discussed.
All patients will have a follow-up clinic appointment either with the CNS or medical team in the outpatient's department. The EP nurses also see patients at outreach clinics at other hospitals.
The CNSs in electrophysiology are contactable Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm. Contact details and a phone number for the CNS will be given on discharge. For emergencies out of hours, there will be a contact phone number available on the answer phone.