The sooner a heart attack is treated, the better the outcome. Time is of the essence. Even if paramedics assist a heart attack victim in an ambulance, the long journey to the hospital can have serious, even fatal, consequences.

Well, there’s good news for Southern Ocean County residents and visitors. The New Jersey Department of Health has authorized Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin to provide primary angioplasty, also known as emergency angioplasty, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in two cardiac catheterization laboratories.

Primary angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure in which a cardiologist uses a balloon and a stent to widen a clogged coronary artery and support the artery. Restores blood supply to the heart muscle in the event of a heart attack, heart failure, or other coronary artery disease.

In primary angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention, a small expandable coil of metal mesh called a stent is placed in the newly opened artery to prevent it from narrowing or closing again. During PCI, a long, thin tube (catheter) is inserted into a blood vessel and guided to the blocked coronary artery. A small balloon is attached to the tip of the catheter.

Once the catheter is in place, a balloon is inflated over the narrowed part of the heart artery. This forces the blocking plaque or blood clot to the side of the artery, creating more space for blood to flow. Fluoroscopy, a special type of X-ray, helps cardiologists find blockages in heart arteries as a contrast agent travels through them.

“Hackensack Meridian Health’s FACHE CEO, Robert C. Garrett, said: “I am proud that our team at Southern Ocean has expanded our cardiac services to provide life-saving care to patients with heart disease.”

“Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of disability and death for women and men in the United States, so this expansion of emergency cardiac services will greatly benefit the residents of Manahawkin and surrounding areas,” said MPH, BSHA, RN. President Michelle Morrison said. Director of the Minami Marine Medical Center. “We are pleased to be able to bring this life-saving care close to home to the communities we serve, and we are proud that our cardiac team and cardiologists are committed to providing such excellent cardiac care. We are proud that Southern Ocean has been able to obtain this new certification.”

“Southern Ocean is expanding our award-winning, first-class cardiac care services to meet the growing needs of our community and creating a more complete cardiovascular program,” said Kenneth N. says Sable, MD, MBA, FACEP. Hackensack Meridian Health’s Southern Market. “Additionally, through the Hackensack Meridian Network, Southern Ocean patients have access to comprehensive, cutting-edge technology and world-renowned heart experts to treat heart disease right here in New Jersey.”

— rick mellerup

rickmellerup@thesandpaper.net