PO Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360

For Release:
Monday, November 26

Mary E. O'Dowd, M.P.H.
Commissioner

For Further Information Contact:
Office of Communications
(609) 984-7160

MEDIA ADVISORY --TUESDAY, NOV. 27 -- NJ’S TOP CARDIOLOGISTS AND STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF CARDIAC SURGERY IN NJ

New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Cardiology & New Jersey Department of Health Holding symposium to discuss stenting without on-site cardiac surgery

What:           
The New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (NJACC), in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health is holding a symposium to discuss elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) -- more commonly known as "angioplasty"- at hospitals without traditional, on-site, cardiac surgical backup programs. PCI - or angioplasty -- is a procedure used to treat the narrowed coronary arteries of the heart that occur in coronary heart disease, and the NJACC has worked with the New Jersey Department of Health  to assemble a panel of renowned cardiologists to discuss implications for efficacy and patient safety.

The New Jersey Department of Health will soon be required to decide whether to amend regulations barring non-surgical hospitals from performing elective PCI without surgery on site.

Currently, 18 New Jersey hospitals with traditional, on-site cardiac surgical backups programs are permitted to perform elective PCI. Another 11 New Jersey hospitals, without on-site cardiac surgical backups, have been granted conditional permission to continue to perform elective PCI. These hospitals participated in a multi-state, randomized study called C-PORT E (Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Team Elective Angioplasty Study), which was published in a May's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. This study demonstrated that performing appropriate elective PCI in well-trained cardiac labs, without surgical backup, under study guidelines, by experienced cardiologists, was not inferior to performing the same procedure in hospitals with surgical backup.

Who:            
-Mary E. O'Dowd, New Jersey Health Commissioner Mary E. O'Dowd
-Ken Kutscher, MD, governor, New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Cardiology
-Charles Dennis, MD, chairman, Cardiovascular Health Advisory Panel
-Thomas Aversano, MD, Associate Director, Johns Hopkins at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, director, Atlantic C-PORT Projects
-Michael Kutcher, MD, professor of medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, lead author, Percutaneous coronary interventions in facilities without cardiac surgery on site: a report from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR)

When:          
Tuesday, November 27, 8:30 am to 1 pm.

Where:         
Forsgate Country Club / Exit 8A of New Jersey Turnpike / Monroe Township, NJ

*** Contact: Mike Cherenson / mcherenson@successcomgroup.com / 973.992-7800 x104***

About the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Cardiology
The New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, a statewide, 1,200-member nonprofit professional medical society is dedicated to fostering optimal cardiovascular care and disease prevention through professional education, promotion of research, leadership in the development of standards and guidelines, and the formulation of healthcare policy.

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Last Reviewed: 11/26/2012