Team will focus on advanced, optimized and personalized treatment for severely clogged coronary arteries, other serious heart conditions
Morristown, New Jersey – October 7, 2021 — Atlantic Health System has announced the launch of the Atlantic Health Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program at Morristown Medical Center. Under the leadership of Drs. Dimitrios Karmpaliotis and Amirali Masoumi, the Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program will provide advanced treatment for patients in need of complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) due to severe, total or multiple difficult-to-treat blockages of their coronary arteries (PCI is angioplasty with or without a stent). The program will also 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.
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. 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 establishes Morristown Medical Center as a national leader in these procedures as well as in treating patients with less complex coronary artery disease.
The Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery team will also address other serious cardiac conditions, including cardiogenic shock, enhancing Morristown’s existing best-in-class care, as New Jersey’s top heart hospital. Cardiogenic shock most commonly occurs after a heart attack, is frequently lethal, but with coordinated, 24/7/365, multidisciplinary care, including mechanical support, PCI and surgical revascularization, Morristown provides improved outcomes for these complex patients. The Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program will expand these capabilities at Morristown and will further support the program by expanding its advanced medical imaging tools and clinical trials for complicated heart conditions.
“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,” said Linda D. Gillam, MD, MPH, MACC, Dorothy and Lloyd Huck Chair, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and Medical Director, Cardiovascular Service Line, Morristown Medical Center/Atlantic Health System. “We are increasing our capacity to treat critically ill patients as well as those with extremely serious chronic heart conditions. We offer effective treatment options to patients who are not given options at most other medical centers. In addition, comprehensive and personalized care remains the foundation of our approach.”
Atlantic Health System recruited two leading physicians from Columbia University Irving Medical Center to help direct the program and provide exceptional patient care: Dimitrios Karmpaliotis, MD, PhD, FACC, FSCAI, who was named Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program and of the Advanced Coronary Therapeutics and Chronic Total Occlusions Program, and Amirali Masoumi, MD, FACC who was named Medical Director of Cardiac Critical Care and Medical and Interventional Director of the Cardiogenic Shock and Mechanical Support Program. Both are internationally renowned for treating heart diseases affecting seriously ill patients.
At Columbia, in addition to being an Associate Professor of Medicine, Dr. Karmpaliotis served as Director of the Chronic Total Occlusions (CTO) and Complex, High-Risk Angioplasty Program and Director of the fellowship program that addresses the same types of medical conditions. Dr. Masoumi served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, cardiac intensivist in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, and served in both the Acute Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and Interventional Heart Failure Program. Both cardiology leaders have received numerous honors and awards throughout their careers.
The new program will bring together Morristown Medical Center’s cardiac services with dedicated teams of experts in treating coronary artery blockages and managing critically ill patients, especially those with life-threatening heart pump failure and cardiogenic shock. The program will ensure expert and consistent use of the medical center’s broad spectrum of highly specialized tools for managing serious heart disease, 24/7/365.
A wide range of seriously ill heart patients will benefit from the program.
The Atlantic Health Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program is supported in part by the generosity of donors in the community. Neil and Lois Gagnon, who have given consistently for nearly 30 years to all areas of Morristown Medical Center and helped establish the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute at Morristown Medical Center in 2008, have continued their generosity and made a lead gift to facilitate the launch of this critical program. “We are thrilled to have a role in expanding the hospital’s capacity to treat those with serious heart conditions in our community and continue to be eager to support comprehensive and award-winning care provided by Dr. Gillam and her team,” Neil Gagnon, Foundation for Morristown Medical Center honorary trustee, said.
About Heart Care at Atlantic Health System
Morristown Medical Center, the hub of heart care at Atlantic Health System, is one of the top 45 programs in the country for Cardiology & Heart Surgery (U.S. News & World Report) and one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care (Healthgrades).
Its expert team presents research across the world and is comprised of interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, heart failure experts, advanced imagers and cardiac surgeons.
The program also offers specialty care in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, sports cardiology, cardio-oncology, pediatric cardiology, and heart disease in women. The team works closely with community cardiologists who provide a medical home for patients with heart disease.
Atlantic Health System Heart Care is focused on offering minimally invasive and non-invasive procedures that help patients return to their lives faster. The state’s largest valve replacement/repair program offers valve therapy options for the aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valves, and is helping advance the radial (wrist) approach for coronary procedures with a new lounge for post-procedure recovery.
Morristown Medical Center is home to the largest cardiac surgery and invasive cardiology programs in New Jersey and offers the most up-to-date cardiac imaging technologies available.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of more than 18,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The not-for-profit system offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ.
Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 16 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of six regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across five health systems in the region.
Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.