Research

Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute at Morristown Medical Center and Overlook Medical Center is at the forefront of research, working to develop new life-saving diagnostic, medical, surgical and interventional treatments. Our goal is to prevent all types of heart disorders and illnesses and to share our advanced knowledge with current and future cardiac care professionals.

Our cardiology, cardiovascular medicine and cardiac surgery departments participate in dozens of clinical trials each year. These national and international studies enhance our physicians' familiarity with promising advancements in electrophysiology, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery and clinical cardiology. The result: improved outcomes for our patients.

Selection for participation in clinical trials, earned through a rigorous acceptance process, gives us an edge when adopting new cardiac technologies or therapies. Through clinical trial participation, our cardiac teams, in many cases, gain extensive experience with new, highly effective remedies prior to their full introduction into the marketplace, offering our patients more treatment options.

We offer new treatment options only after they have been rigorously tested and approved for study by the FDA. Once a person chooses to participate in a clinical protocol, our team of specially trained cardiac experts follow patients closely. Our research teams include cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, electrophysiologists, nurses and other specialists, who have extensive experience in clinical research. Together this team focuses solely on patients in our clinical trials to track their progress while collecting important scientific information.

Our physicians regularly present their clinical findings and treatment techniques at well-regarded regional, national and international cardiac conferences. In sharing clinical results with national and international leaders in cardiology, our doctors train the next generation of cardiac experts, underscoring our reputation as a highly respected center for cardiovascular research.

Atlantic Health System is the primary academic and clinical affiliate in New Jersey of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and The Mount Sinai Hospital. This partnership ensures rigorous external oversight of hospital residency programs and gives Atlantic Health System's professionals access to the research and academic expertise.

Recent Cardiovascular Research Projects

• CoreValve U.S. Pivotal Trial, which provides a minimally invasive, percutaneous (non-surgical) treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis
• Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Teams (CPORT) clinical trial with Johns Hopkins University, which offers life-saving angioplasty procedures for heart attack victims
• Studies that follow the progress of patients who have received drug-eluting stents for coronary artery disease
• Implanting internal cardiac defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy(CRT) for abnormal heart rhythms and/or heart failure
• Investigating the benefit of statin therapy in preventing heart attack and stroke
• Evaluation of a new, alternative antithrombotic regimen that may prevent blood-clotting problems associated with atrial fibrillation and/or immobility
• New procedures for the treatment of atrial fibrillation 
• Prevention of neurocognitive impairment in cardiac surgery patients
• New therapies for treating and/or monitoring heart failure
• Non-surgical (percutaneous) mitral valve repair
• Examination of the benefits of radiation treatment on cardiac stent restenosis