New Technology Helps Clinicians Better Identify Patients Who Require Invasive Testing
FEBRUARY 15, 2019, Morristown, NJ – Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center, named one of the top 20 cardiology programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report, today announced it is offering improved care for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD—when the arteries that supply blood to heart become hardened and narrowed) with the addition of the HeartFlow® FFRCT Analysis.
Traditionally, to determine how a narrowed artery impacts blood flow or if a larger blockage is suspected, the medical team performs an invasive angiogram, where a catheter is inserted through the groin or wrist to assess the extent of the narrowed or blocked arteries.
The HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis provides physicians with a 3D, computer-based model of a patient’s heart and helps them visualize how narrowed arteries impact blood flow. Because it is based on the imaging data from a standard coronary CT scan, the procedure is non-invasive, and doesn’t involve an invasive procedure.
Once the medical team understands how blood flow is impacted, it is able to develop an appropriate plan of treatment, which can include medication, stents, or, in extreme cases, bypass surgery.
“Better cardiac imaging helps the medical team more accurately understand what’s happening with a patient’s heart, and develop the most appropriate treatment plan,” said Seth Uretsky, MD, Medical Director, Cardiovascular Imaging, and Associate Director, Cardiovascular Fellowship Program, Atlantic Health System. “Because of the level of detail we can see with the HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis based on only a standard CT scan, we are able to avoid an invasive diagnostic procedure and get patients back to their lives more quickly.”
Learn more about cardiac imaging at Atlantic Health System >
About Heart Care at Atlantic Health System
The Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers, part of Atlantic Health System, is home to New Jersey’s largest cardiac surgery program, and provides patients with world-class medical experts and award-winning cardiovascular diagnostic and treatment services. Specializing in open-heart, minimally invasive and non-invasive procedures, Gagnon offers its patients individualized care at a hospital that was named one of America’s 20 Best Hospitals for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery by U.S. News & World Report and one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care by Healthgrades. Nationally ranked in cardiology since 2012, the heart care team at Atlantic Health System includes cardiologists with expertise in multiple disciplines, cardiac surgeons, vascular specialists and allied health professionals.
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 16,800 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 system offers more than 400 sites of care, including six 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 and Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ.
In addition to the employed workforce, Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network represents more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ. This network includes 1,000 physicians and providers comprising one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey, Atlantic Medical Group, as well as members of the Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners which work to enhance patient care delivery.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs including 12 urgent care centers, Atlantic Rehabilitation and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. 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 seven 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 seven health systems in New Jersey.
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