Chris Deemer, RN
Saves Lives at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Midwest’
story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer
A new cardiac catheterization (cath) lab will be retro-fitted in January with updated equipment at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Midwest. The new equipment will provide better imaging quality, said Chris Deemer, a registered nurse serving in the cardiac cath lab at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Midwest. Two functioning rooms continue to be in place during implementation.
“I believe it will be beneficial to the patients and that it will reduce radiation exposure and then obviously improve diagnostic capacity or ability of the physician based on improved imagery,” Deemer said.
The cath lab is used to test or treat heart or blood vessel problems, such as clogged arteries or irregular heartbeats. A thin hollow tube called a catheter enters the arterial system either from the right wrist or right groin. Coronary access to blood vessels on the surface of the heart prevents the heart muscle from damage.
“We visualize the circulation using contrast in real time under fluoroscopy or X-Ray,” he said. “If there are areas where the cardiologist can intervene either by expanding a balloon and/or a stent to hold the vessel open, then we do so. It’s an assessment of the circulation on the surface of the heart, the arteries that supply the heart muscle itself, and a diagnostic tool for determining cardiac function.”
Having an interventional cath lab in Midwest City saves lives. Patients transferring from outlying areas such as Shawnee save time by coming to SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Midwest without needing to go to the main SSM campus in midtown Oklahoma City.
“My requirement when being on-call is to be within the building within 30 minutes,” he said.
Deemer has devoted his nursing career to cardiac care. He began as a nursing assistant at Oklahoma Heart Hospital-South while attending nursing school at OSU/OKC. He has been an RN since January of 2015. (story continued below)
He recalled bringing a warm blanket to a patient early in his career. The woman’s grateful response for such a small thing became etched in his memory. Deemer had been a restaurant manager before his nursing career.
“I never had anybody respond like that when I brought their properly cooked rib-eye or whatever,” he said. “Now it’s a privilege to be entrusted with people’s care. And it’s obviously a lot of responsibility. It’s an opportunity to help people by providing comfort and reassurance. It’s an opportunity to serve.”
Deemer began working for Saints in August of 2022.
“This really is an exciting opportunity because this hospital had been here for decades, a very long time,” he said.
He said the hospital has already benefited from SSM’s 2021 acquisition and investment.
“There’s tremendous financial and other investment that’s taken place in the hospital itself and surrounding property,” he said. “Not only is it a remodeling of the hospital itself, but community revitalization,” he said. “Patients comment on it regularly that it’s so much nicer and ‘I’m glad that Saints is here.’”
His workflow involves both inpatient and outpatient care. A pre-post team helps prepare patients arriving in the cath lab. The lab also includes an ECHO cardiography staff that Deemer works closely with.
Both a physician and Deemer meet with the patient before their catheterization. Deemer likes to explain the procedure. Some patients want a lot of explanation while others only want an abbreviated version with the high points.
A third registered nurse was recently hired to serve with Deemer and another nurse in the cath lab.
“We all work well together. Everyone has strengths that we can draw upon for patient care,” he said.
Team members have a group chat informing everyone what to expect as they rotate through their shift. Even when the nurses are not working on a case, they are still in the control room standing by, ready to provide assistance.
“It’s very much team oriented,” Deemer said.
His nursing experience has made him more health conscious for himself and his family, he said. He also keeps himself prepared for interventions.
“I stopped at a car accident long ago when I was still in nursing school,” he said. “There were a few things I would have liked to have had in the moment before EMS got there to provide a little bit of help. Things of that nature have kind of informed my day to day.”
Deemer balances his life by a fun ride on his motorcycle.
“I ride it like a scalded dog,” he said. “And there is family time of course. I just made cheesecake last night with my 14-year-old daughter. It was our first attempt. So that was a lot of fun.”
