CFI's workforce grew by 25 people on Thursday, April 26th! And by Friday, it had shrunk by 25 people but that's the nature of "Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work" day.
It's all about inspiring future generations to check out the workforce and learn about the many choices they will have in their professional lives. Plus, they get to glimpse how mom and dad spend their workweek and what it takes to balance professional and family life.
CFI's own Dan Hayes (QC), Casey Moore (Engineering), and Shannon Leighton (Production) shared their knowledge of CFI opps by serving as tour guides, making sure each participant got a great look into CFI life.
The great thing about being a manufacturer is that CFI showcases so many career possibilities for our kids. CFI's design and production capabilities are great examples of the talent and knowledge required to work with your head, and your hands, in creating high-quality parts. "Just anybody" can't do these things.
The Engineering, Cutting, and Saws departments each performed demonstrations showing what they do and proving that schooling, training, attention to detail, and respect for machines and safety are all important parts of being successful.
Besides seeing the production side of things, kids learned how the "front offices" work. They got to hear their parent's "business voice" on the phone and see how adults often are expected to juggle a lot of, often very different and unrelated, tasks.
CFI is proud to open its doors to the "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work" program, now in its 20th year. As one of more than 3.5 million participating workplaces, (and nearly 37 million kids this year) CFI looks forward to next year's event and to the, very bright, future workforce!
If you are a job seeker interested in employment at CFI Medical Solutions, please visit our careers page for a list of current openings.
The hot healthcare news out of Newport Beach, California is happening at Hoag Hospital. The facility has just unveiled its new stress-free heart procedure room designed to improve patient outcomes and maximize doctor comfort all in an environment that is comfortable for both patient AND staff.
As patients, we understand the anxiety that accompanies a surgical procedure and appreciate the steps our caregivers take to make us comfortable and calm. But what about the doctors and staff themselves?
Hoag paves the way in the belief that comfortable, happy, healthy doctors lead to better patient outcomes and more positive healthcare experiences. In its state-of-the-art cath lab, Dr. Subbarao Myla demonstrated the ZeroGravity Radiation Protection System for two of L.A.'s news stations, KTLA and KABC, in live and taped news segments at yesterday's unveiling.
Myla told L.A.'s KABC, working with the ZeroGravity suspended lead system, the finger-tip control pads and other specially-designed lab features is like "flying a sleek, F-22 jet." The suspended lead system is included in the facility's cath lab design for its efficiency.
See both KTLA's and KABC's coverage here.
We love seeing our baby's name in print and, like any proud parent, we want to tell you about it.
Our friends at Spectrum Health, like several Michigan facilities, are early adopters of ZeroGravity technology. Located in Grand Rapids, Spectrum Health is home to the cutting-edge Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center. This month's issue of EPLabDigest shines its spotlight on the Spectrum team and on the sytems and technologies it employs in its facilty - including the ZeroGravity Radiation Protection System.
In September, Spectrum's Andre Gauri, MD said this of their decision to buy ZeroGravity, "We had sampled some other systems and the ZeroGravity just seemed the most natural. It interfered with the case less and the operations of getting access to and manipulating catheters. I felt less encumbered by this system than other systems. We are a pretty high-volume center here. We do about 900 ablations and about 1200 devices a year so the hospital was very willing to get a system that would allow us to continue at that level of productivity or even increase it. They have a vested interest in our longevity and our ability to remain injury-free."
Since that time, Physician-preference for the system has become so intense that Spectrum purchased a second unit this year. Congratulations on the nice feature article, Spectrum! We look forward to hearing much more about the good work you're doing for the community of western Michigan and beyond.
See Dr. Gauri's complete interview here:
To see the entire EP Lab Digest article, click here.
Coming on the heels of last night's destructive (but, thankfully, not deadly) tornado through Dexter, Michigan, we in Fenton can't help but remember the hot, sunny day in August that quickly turned our community into what seemed like a war zone.
Though it may not seem like it now, I hope the folks in Dexter know that it gets better. The stores and homes will rebuild, the grass will grow back, trees will be replanted, schools will reopen, cars will be replaced, things will be replaced.
As neighbors help neighbors and the community pulls together, be reminded that most people are good. As we hear regularly about crime, the economy, the unemployment rate, politicians, and terrorism look around you and see that those things are the exception not the rule. People are good. People help. People understand.
If you, or anyone you know, wants to contribute to Dexter's clean-up efforts, you may do so through the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling (734) 971-5300 or online at www.wc-redcross.org.
These are images from the tornado that ripped through Fenton, MI on August 25, 2007. The EF2 twister touched down repeatedly through the historic part of our town, its 100 mph+ winds uprooting ancient oaks and destroying homes. It was the largest emergency response situation the city's history. More than 200 properties were damaged and 12,000 people were without power. Much of the city was inaccesible for days.
Dexter's tornado was an EF3 with winds in excess of 135 mph. It ripped a ten mile path through the town.
As part of the American College of Cardiology's ACC12 Heart of Innovation Learning Destination, Dr. Christian Machado, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Cardiac Rhythm Management Device Clinic at St. John Providence Health System in Detroit, speaks about the “Evolution of Radiation Protection” on Monday, March 26th at 1:05 at Chicago's McCormick Place.
Dr. Machado addresses the long-term risks associated with chronic, occupational ionizing radiation exposure and how doctors and staff in EP and cath labs can benefit from proper and effective monitoring and protection. Trace the advances made since the inception of the x-ray in 1895 to the world's first mobile C-arm in 1955 to the patient and operator protective methods of today.
Nationally and internationally recognized on the subject of cardiac pacing and electrophysiology, Dr. Machado has also participated in nearly 50 sponsored clinical research trials and has been the primary investigator on multiple studies involving, among others, St. Jude Medical, Medtronic Corporation, and Guidant Corporation, where he is a member of the Business Strategy Advisory Board for the Development of Technology.
Machado is a dedicated teacher and recipient of the 'Teacher of the Year' award fromProvidenceHospital's Internal Medicine Residency Program. In addition to this recognition, Dr. Machado is active on numerous St. John Health System service committees to benefit St. John Health System, including Medical Performance Improvement, Cardiac Service Performance Improvement, and the Graduate Medical Education Committee.
Dr. Machado attended medical school at the Instituto Tecnologico De Santo Domingo and completed his fellowship atSinai-GraceHospitalthroughDetroit’sWayneStateUniversity. Dr. Machado is board certified through the American Board of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases and Cardiac Electrophysiology and has received numerous specialized trainings and certifications in electrophysiology, ablations, atrial fibrillation, pacemaker implants, pulmonary vein isolations, arrhythmia, and ICD implants.
CFI is very proud to host Dr. Christian Machado at ACC12. This year’s conference takes place at Chicago’s McCormick Place March 24th – 27th.
The use of fluoroscopy in cardiology has been of tremendous help in patient diagnosis and treatment, from helping to visualize blood flow to aiding in catheter insertion in angioplasty procedures, for example. Technology in this area continues to advance, especially in image resolution and clarity, but there is one crucial area that still lags in development: the safety protocols for doctors and staff that are exposed to the ionizing radiation inherent in fluoroscopy.
According to the National Cancer Institute, health care professionals and their staff are at risk for eye injuries (cataracts) and skin and other types of cancer from chronic exposure to the x-rays used in fluoroscopes. In addition to these long-term effects, immediate damage can also occur in the form of burns to the skin on the hands. While safety measure have improved over the years, more can be done to protect doctors, nurses, and technicians
Currently, the most common way to mitigate the levels of exposure is for personnel to use heavy leaded apparel. This apparel is not completely effective in blocking radiation, and has the additional liability of potentially causing orthopedic damage after long-term use. Furthermore, a lead apron is quite cumbersome to work in and causes sweating and discomfort, lessening the amount of cases a professional can comfortably handle in one day. Due to its weight, a lead apron can only have a certain size and weight before it becomes impossible to wear, leaving certain areas exposed by necessity.
A better solution for the industry exists in the form of free-floating radiation protection systems. These systems allow for complete freedom of movement, as the weight of the protective apparel is borne by the system instead of the operator. Better vision is also afforded through a leaded shield that hangs in front of the operator, replacing goggles. The net effect is less interference and stress on the body of the practitioner, allowing him to focus on the patient instead of his protective gear.
The radiation-blocking effectiveness of these systems lies in a thicker lead fabric, which is twice the thickness of most conventional lead apparel. A study published in the April 2011 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology concluded that, compared to a conventional lead apron, a suspended radiation protection system provides 16–78-fold decrease in radiation exposure. Other factors contributing to the system’s effectiveness are the longer lead apron used, shoulder protection, and the wraparound head shield that protects a much greater area than a face mask.
The medical profession has an excellent track record in providing for patient safety when fluoroscopy is used, but the industry needs to re-examine radiation exposure protocols to increase the safety of healthcare workers as well. The industry should demand the implementation of innovative technology, such as suspended radiation protection systems, to not only protect the health of medical professionals, but to allow them to serve more patients in a day and enjoy longer careers. With the long runway needed to develop a fully-qualified cardiologist, keeping them in practice longer is an outcome both the industry and society at large will benefit from. Please do your part in bringing awareness to this area and calling for reform.
Why Leap Year? Why not Leap Year? What would happen either way? How hard can it be to keep our calendar to 365 days?
These, and other pressing questions, are answered right here: Sit back, and enjoy the show:
Happy Leap Day from CFI Medical Solutions!
It’s primary day here in Michigan! Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are stumping around CFI Medical Solutions’ home state, as we speak. Even Ron Paul was here for a split second - but he didn’t stick around long.
Nonetheless, it got this blogger to thinking about the candidates’ sales approaches because, after all, that’s exactly what they’re doing: selling themselves to the American voter. And if there’s anything we’re familiar with here at CFI Medical, it’s selling. Here are a few things we’ve found helpful when we’re attempting to sell our products to a potential customer.
- Mind your words: As the old saying goes, don’t call their baby ugly. Implying that their current way of doing things is bad makes them dislike you. For example, “You’re currently using product A, doctor. There are so many studies showing that it just flat-out doesn’t work. Let me show you why product B is so much better.” Good luck with that message! In the case of politics, slinging mud at the opponent or competition makes the public dislike the mudslinger.
- Know your audience: How many times has a coworker passed you in the hallway and chirped, “Smile!”? Regardless of your state of mind, (which was probably just fine albeit wrapped in thought), their delivery and their presumption made you feel exactly the opposite of smiling. In fact, you may have wanted to punch them in the face. It’s important to adapt your delivery accordingly. Don’t assume anything about the moods, beliefs, family, sexuality, political opinions, wealth, etc. about the person to whom your speaking or presenting.
- Be yourself: people can smell a phony a mile away and, while they may be too polite to say so, if you’re being someone you’re not, they don’t trust you and aren’t putting any stock in what you’re saying. Being who you truly are puts other people at ease and shows them that they’re safe being themselves around you. It’s like the politician who claims to support manufacturing but votes against bailouts or small business. It makes it tough to trust him or her. Always remember one of the cardinal rules of sales: show don’t tell. Do as you say you’re going to do!
And now, I’m off to vote. Remember to thank the people working at your precinct. They work a long day for a pittance and a slice of pizza.
Anecdotal evidence long points to the standard lead apron (SLA) as Public Enemy #1 to interventionalists suffering from back, neck, and shoulder strain.
According to Marichal, et al, currently available shielding puts operators at increased risk of debilitating musculoskeletal issues because they're regularly bearing lead weight for hours at a time - on a nearly daily basis. In the study, published in 2011 in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Marichal compares SLAs with a newly available suspended version (ahem, the ZeroGravity Radiation Protection System). And guess which came out on top? That's right, the ZeroGravity did!
Orthopedic issues with interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists go well-beyond missed work days, shortened careers, and degenerative spine disorders - think of the radiation exposure (and that's a blog for another day)!
As a patient, I want these people around for a long time. I want to know that, knock on wood, should I or someone I love, need their skills that they are up to the task, feeling 100%, energized, alert, and pain free. I just don't understand how this is possible when they spend all day with at least 300 psi on their backs.
They need a radiation protection system that provides total freedom of movement, not confinement to a cabin-system like Cathpax or other options requiring wheeling around the table with every step and certainly not options that break their backs. Doctors need to be optimally protected but thicker apparel is an unbearable burden.
Listen to what these ZG users have to say about their experience...