Ambulatory anesthesia for the cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories

The cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) and electrophysiology laboratory (EPL) environments present unique clinical challenges. These challenges include unfamiliar work areas and staff, limited space with physical barriers separating the patient from the care provider, remote locations, and procedures with rare but potentially catastrophic clinical complications. Ambulatory anesthesiologists must familiarize themselves with these new surroundings and practice vigilant preoperative planning and continual communication with the proceduralist and team. In the future, the need for anesthesiologists in the CCL and EPL will continue to grow as procedures increase in complexity and duration.