Procedural Care

The Acute Hemodialysis and Apheresis unit (AHU) supports inpatient dialysis, both inpatient and outpatient therapeutic apheresis procedures and stem cell collection.  Renal failure patients from infant to geriatric, who require dialysis while hospitalized at UCSF, are cared for by the AHU staff. 

AHU nurses have strong nephrology and dialysis backgrounds as well as expertise in therapeutic apheresis procedures and stem cell collection.  All nurses are certified in Pediatric Advanced Live Support (PALS) and competent in telemetry monitoring. 

Nurses work as a team to provide dialysis and apheresis treatments to a diverse patient population with various nursing needs and medical diagnosis.  A dynamic patient census challenges staff to be flexible and organized in their approach to patient care while maintaining the standards of care defined by the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

Interventional Cardiology provides minimally invasive cardiology and electrophysiology procedures for patients with complex cardiac needs.  This unit includes 2 Adult Cardiac Catheterization Lab rooms, 2 Electrophysiology Lab rooms, a Procedure room and a total of 7 beds in the Holding area.

The majority of the nurses in Interventional Cardiology hold either a bachelor's or a master's degree and have at least several years of experience in critical and / or emergent care, as well as specialty training in the management of the lab imaging equipment and documentation systems.  Nurses utilize these advanced skills to provide comprehensive care to patients undergoing moderate sedation / anesthesia, fluoroscopic imaging, specialized electrophysiology procedures and recovery.  A three-nurse call team is available evenings, nights and weekends, if needed for emergency procedures.  Nurses work very closely with the multidisciplinary team to provide exceptional patient and family centered care and to ensure outstanding patient outcomes.

UCSF has been at the forefront in the development of intracoronary devices, and has been very active in the study of the impact of interventions on health care, appropriate indications and utilization of catheter based treatment. Numerous research activities completed here have advanced the care of patients with heart disease, and UCSF has been very active in treating patients with pulmonary hypertension and heart transplantation.

The Endoscopy Department provides comprehensive gastrointestinal care at Moffitt / Long (ML) and Mount Zion (MZ) locations. Patients are seen on an outpatient basis and receive various procedures performed within the unit.  The endoscopic procedures performed are some of the most sophisticated and advanced in the world. As a referral medical center, the Endoscopy unit engages in cutting edge technologies with physicians who are recognized nationally and internationally.

A cohesive team of highly skilled nurses and GI techs work collaboratively with Attending Endoscopists and Fellows to provide excellent care during endoscopic procedures.  Averaging 800 procedures a month, compassionate care is provided before, during, and after Gastrointestinal (GI) and Pulmonary procedures.

Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA) standards and guidelines are practices and all nursing staff are required to be certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Live Support (PALS).

Interventional Radiology provides minimally invasive procedures for patients with complex needs using imaging guidance.  This includes a full gamut of non-neurologic vascular and non-vascular procedures. The majority of the nurses in Interventional Radiology hold either a bachelor's or a master's degree and have at least several years of experience in critical and/or emergent care, as well as specialty training in the management of patients in the imaging environment and documentation systems.  Nurses utilize these advanced skills to provide comprehensive care to patients undergoing moderate sedation / anesthesia, fluoroscopic imaging, and recovery. Nurses work very closely with the multidisciplinary team to provide exceptional patient and family centered care and to ensure outstanding patient outcomes.

Neuro Interventional Radiology (NIR) provides minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of adult and pediatric cerebral and spinal vascular disorders, head and neck disorders, trauma, and pain management. Acute stroke intervention represents approximately 5% of all NIR cases and, though a small fraction of overall volume, require immediate mobilization of resources, including specially trained nurses to the angioplasty suite.  The Neuro IR group is collaborating with other sites around the globe in formalizing the first direct to angioplasty suite workflow for acute stroke intervention.  A two-nurse call team is available evenings, nights and weekends, if needed for emergency procedures in either Interventional Radiology or Neuro IR.