Heart and Vascular Programs and Specialties
at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
The
heart and vascular programs and specialties at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
use leading-edge techniques and therapies to take the best care of you.
Exceptionally rated by the New Jersey Department of Health for our high standards of quality, we provide outstanding diagnostic and emergency cardiac care while serving as the doorway to more complex services if needed.
Our skilled cardiac and vascular specialists provide top-rated heart health services, including diagnosis and treatment close to home — because every second counts.
Emergency Mobile Care
In an emergency, our expert emergency specialists come to you wherever you are, with high-tech equipment and tools to administer urgently needed cardiovascular treatment: cardiac pacing, cardiac dysrhythmias, cardioversion, defibrillation, therapeutic hypothermia and initial response for stroke, heart attack and other medical emergencies.
Treatment for Cardiovascular Conditions
Our cardiac and vascular programs provide a full complement of diagnostic tests and treatments and a multidisciplinary, integrated and patient-centric approach to care delivery. We are known for providing exceptional care for heart, vascular and thoracic conditions that produce results that exceed national quality benchmarks.
Highlights of our programs include:
- Emergency angioplasty and stenting with average door-to-balloon time under 60 minutes
- Biventricular pacemaker insertion
- Experienced Critical Care unit
- Telemetry system staffed by advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS)-certified nurses who monitor all patients' heartbeats for signs of arrhythmia
- Seamless transfer of patients and their information using electronic medical records (EMR) and the picture archiving and communication system (PACS)
- Cardiac rehabilitation
Our dedicated Critical Care Unit offers follow-up care with a highly skilled and compassionate staff. We also offer a variety of cardiovascular and thoracic disease prevention programs, advanced diagnosis and treatment, and continued support for people living with cardiovascular and thoracic conditions.
We offer preventive and follow up wellness services that help the cardiac patient with nutrition, diabetes management and exercise through our fitness and wellness centers in Scotch Plains and Carteret.
Cardiac Cath Lab Offers an Array of Catheter-Based Interventions
RWJUH Rahway has a fully equipped cardiovascular catheterization service. Our experienced team of specialists use the newest equipment and minimally invasive techniques and devices for diagnosing and treating heart and vascular disease.
Innovative catheter-based interventions include complex high-risk coronary angioplasty, heart rhythm abnormalities, vascular diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and endovascular interventions.
Our Award-Winning Hospital Network Gives You Access to the Most Comprehensive Care
If medically necessary, patients can be transferred to the Cardiovascular Centers of Excellence at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH)New Brunswick or Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) for more advanced treatment.
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s highest performing hospitals, RWJUH offers New Jersey’s most advanced heart care options and a health care team consisting of community and academic physicians from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, which partners with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has been designated as one of the World’s Best Hospitals in Newsweek magazine. NBIMC performs more than 3,000 procedures each year using the newest equipment, techniques and devices for diagnosing and treating heart and vascular disease. It is also the only hospital in New Jersey that performs heart-lung transplants.
RWJUH and NBIMC are the only two hospitals in New Jersey that are Medicare-certified to perform heart transplants.
Board-certified cardiac surgeons, interventionalists and anesthesiologists at both hospitals provide exceptional care, including:
- Ventricular assist devices (VADs) as a bridge to heart transplant; the hospitals are certified by the Joint Commission to offer VADs, a life-saving therapy for patients who are not eligible for heart transplant
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR)
- 3D transesophageal echocardiography
- Access to clinical trials
Programs and Specialties We Offer
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway offers a wide array of programs and specialties that include:
-
Cardiac Diagnostic Testing. Using the most advanced technologies and techniques, we can detect a
variety of cardiovascular conditions and thoracic disorders. Stress tests
and diagnostic catheterization procedures include:
- Cardiopulmonary metabolic exercise stress testing (CMET). A noninvasive procedure used to check heart, lungs and functional capacity simultaneously, providing more comprehensive data than the standard treadmill stress test.
- Exercise stress test (treadmill testing). Monitors blood pressure and heart activity while walking on a treadmill at different levels of intensity, indicating how the heart responds to different levels of exertion and whether an EKG changes during exercise.
- Nuclear, pharmacological stress testing. Stress echocardiography uses echocardiography to image the heart during exercise or pharmacologic or nuclear stress testing, which uses isotopes to simulate the stress on the heart when the patient cannot use treadmill.
- Right heart catheterizations, also known as pulmonary artery catheterization. This test determines how well or poorly the heart is pumping. It also measures the pressures in the heart and lungs. It involves passing a special catheter into the pulmonary artery, the artery that carries blood to the lungs. The doctor observes blood flow through the heart and measures the pressure in the heart and lungs. Cardiac output — the amount of blood the heart pumps per minute — is also determined during this test.
- Pacemaker insertions. A pacemaker insertion is the implantation of a small electronic device in the chest to help regulate slow electrical problems with the heart. A pacemaker may be recommended to make sure the heartbeat does not slow to a dangerously low rate.
- Implantable loop recorder (ILR). A heart recording device is implanted in the body to look for causes of fast or slow hearts beats and hidden rhythms. May be used to explore causes of fainting or palpitations.
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). A special type of echocardiogram using ultrasound technology to provide a detailed image of the heart and its internal structure. It can pinpoint areas of the heart muscle that are not contracting well because of poor blood flow or injury from a prior heart attack.
- TEE with cardioversion. A cardioversion is the use of electric current to shock your heart back into a normal rhythm. It is used to correct a heartbeat that’s too fast or irregular. Cardioversion is usually done to treat people who have atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.
- Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). A circulatory support system for patients requiring hemodynamic support either in cardiogenic shock or at risk of hemodynamic decompensation during a high-risk coronary intervention.
- Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. After a patient is discharged, we offer continued rehabilitation, exercise, education and support at the Nicholas Quadrel Healthy Heart Center within the hospital. Our Care Connection Subacute Unit offers longer-term inpatient rehabilitation. The Nicholas Quadrel Healthy Heart Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at RWJUH Rahway offers supervised exercise, nutrition and support to help you build strength, stamina and confidence. Cardiac rehab programs such as ours have shown to reduce incidence of a second cardiac event. You can take an active role in your ongoing heart health with this supervised lifestyle and exercise guidance.
- Vascular Care. We are pleased to offer exceptional vascular care in New Jersey. Our top-rated vascular surgeons, technologists and specialists use the latest high definition imaging systems, testing options and equipment to diagnose and treat diseases of the blood vessels, putting your health needs first.
