Cardiac Critical Care APPE

Saint Luke's Hospital Cardiology Critical Care Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) Rotation involves the provision of pharmaceutical care for those patients in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit (CICU) as well as the Advanced Heart Failure/Heart Transplant Unit (H5 South). The CICU encompasses the hospitalization of patients for cardiac-related diagnoses. The complete spectrum of pharmaceutical care is experienced during the rotation, including:

  • Medication order review, clarification, and validation
  • Interaction with nurses regarding medication administration issues/questions
  • Monitoring and assessing drug therapy
  • Rounding with the health care team
  • Providing patient/family education (i.e., anticoagulant education, as well as dofetilide and sotalol education)

Interactions with other members of the health care team include staff physicians, residents and fellows, medical students, social workers, nurses, and dietitians.

Potential Topics/Activities

Core content which will be covered via actual patient care experiences, discussions of reading materials, and/or case presentations includes a review of the following:

  • Acute Coronary Syndromes
  • Advanced cardiac life support and therapeutic hypothermia
  • Cardiac arrhythmia pathology and treatment
  • Cardiac Devices (Pacemakers, ICD, VAD, IABP, etc)
  • Cardiac transplantation
  • Heart Failure (Acute Decompensated)
  • Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia
  • Infective Endocarditis
  • Peripheral Arterial Disease
  • Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
  • Thromboembolic disorders

Emphasis will be placed on designing, monitoring, and evaluating patient-specific pharmacotherapy. The preceptor serves as a role model and a learning resource for the student, but also provides the opportunity for independent practice. The student is encouraged to take initiative in assisting the direction of the learning experience during the rotation to optimize their personal development.

Location

Preceptors

Courtney Chedester, PharmD, MBA, BCCP
  • School of pharmacy: Southwestern Oklahoma State University
  • Residency training: PGY1—Banner University Medical Center South/The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy; PGY2 Critical Care—Banner University Medical Center Tucson
  • Specialty interests: Critical Care, Emergency Medicine
  • Professional involvement: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP)
Kyle Klindworth, PharmD, BCCCP 
  • School of pharmacy: UMKC School of Pharmacy
  • Residency training: PGY1—Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City; PGY2 Critical Care—Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City
Jack Pluenneke, PharmD, BCCP
  • School of pharmacy: UMKC School of Pharmacy
  • Residency training: PGY1—Vanderbilt University; PGY2 Cardiology—Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City