Morristown Medical Center, recognized as one of the Top 50 hospitals in the country for cardiology and heart surgery, just got a little bit better.
On Thursday, Atlantic Health System announced the launch of the Atlantic Health Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program at Morristown Medical Center, which will aim to provide advanced treatment for patients in need of complex percutaneous coronary intervention due to severe, total or multiple difficult-to-treat blockages of their coronary arteries.
The program also will expand the advanced support capabilities for patients who are gravely ill with acute cardiac problems such as cardiogenic shock, in which the heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
Atlantic Health System recruited two internationally renowned physicians from the Irving Medical Center at Columbia University to help direct the program.
- Dr. Dimitrios Karmpaliotis will serve as medical director of the Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program and of the Advanced Coronary Therapeutics and Chronic Total Occlusions Program;
- Dr. Amirali Masoumi will serve as medical director of cardiac critical care and medical and interventional director of the Cardiogenic Shock and Mechanical Support Program.
Serious and complex artery blockages are becoming more common and more difficult to treat. Therefore, highly specialized and experienced teams are needed to deliver life-saving treatment. State-of-the-art technologies and teams with advanced training and technical skills are essential for optimal treatment for those who have complex cardiovascular problems.
Atlantic Health officials said the program’s philosophy is that every PCI, whether simple or complex, should be assessed and performed at the highest level of precision.
The Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program aims to establish Morristown Medical Center as a national leader in these procedures, as well as in treating patients with less complex coronary artery disease.
Dr. Linda Gilliam, the Dorothy and Lloyd Huck Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Atlantic Health, said the program will have a big impact.
“World-class cardiac centers such as our Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program continue to evolve to successfully care for patients who, just a few years ago, could not be treated,” she said.
