Monmouth Medical Center said it recently received state approval to perform non-emergent angioplasty procedures — a decision that enables residents in the region to receive potentially lifesaving cardiac procedures close to home.
This approval is a part of a systemwide initiative by RWJBarnabas Health following Gov. Phil Murphy’s recent approval of legislation expanding access to elective angioplasties to increase access to a comprehensive range of essential cardiac care for residents throughout New Jersey.
For decades, MMC, an RWJBH facility, has been performing emergency angioplasties on patients experiencing the most critical type of heart attack. This New Jersey Department of Health approval authorizes the hospital to also treat patients diagnosed with non-emergent blockages during cardiac catheterization.
An angioplasty procedure, sometimes referred to as percutaneous coronary intervention, is a minimally invasive technique used to open blocked arteries that deliver blood to the heart. An interventional cardiologist uses PCI to treat blocked vessels by threading a catheter through an artery in a patient’s wrist (radial artery) or upper leg (femoral artery).
“This approval enables residents of Monmouth County and the surrounding area to receive premier quality elective cardiac procedures close to home, allowing patients’ primary care physicians and cardiologists to participate in care decisions and improve outcomes,” Monmouth Medical CEO and President Eric Carney said.
