Virtua Cardiologists Respond to Commentary on Angioplasty

MARLTON, N.J., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As practicing cardiologists
serving the South Jersey community, we are compelled to respond to Gary
Young's commentary regarding elective angioplasty, published July 26 in the
Courier-Post, and in other papers throughout the state. Mr. Young's opinions
present information that mislead your readers about their medical options.

We commend the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services for its
leadership in our state's participation in the national program led by the
world renowned Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Three New Jersey health
commissioners, two of them physicians, have endorsed New Jersey's
participation in this program. Twelve additional states endorse this program
through their own participation.

Fortunately, due to advances in medical practice, equipment, and technology,
the frontiers of medicine are constantly advancing and improving patient
access. Twenty years ago, MRIs were only located in regional centers. Today,
they are in every hospital. Twenty years ago, most surgeries were only
performed in hospital operating rooms. Today, many procedures are safely and
routinely performed in ambulatory surgery centers. Twenty years ago, elective
angioplasty was only performed at hospitals that had cardiac surgery on site.
Today, elective angioplasty is safely and routinely performed at hospitals
with off-site cardiac surgery back-up in about half of the United States and
in most countries around the world.

As medical directors at Virtua Health, we are responsible for the quality care
and safety of our patients, a role we take very seriously. Furthermore, this
elective angioplasty program requires participating hospitals to comply with
stricter oversight than any cardiac surgery center in our state. Every
hospital in the multi-state elective angioplasty program is overseen by four
independent levels of monitoring -- Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, an
independent monitoring board, each state's department of health, and each
hospital's review board. These authorities include scientists, medical
experts and ethicists from around the country who insure that protocols are
safe.

The message should be about the advancement of medical practice and patient
access to those medical advances. A perfect example is Virtua's ability to
provide emergency angioplasty to patients who enter our Marlton Emergency
Department in severe cardiac distress. As a result, we've saved lives! Virtua
and more than 20 other NJ hospitals with off-site cardiac surgery back-up are
able to provide this critical care thanks to a prior national Johns Hopkins
study that proved the benefits.

At Virtua Marlton, we have performed emergency angioplasty on heart attack
patients safely and successfully for three years. This demonstrates that we
can perform the procedure in elective cases as well, providing for greater
patient choice and access.

The writers are cardiologists with Virtua Health. Randy Mintz, M.D., is
Medical Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab, Virtua Marlton. Robert Singer,
M.D., is Section Chief/Cardiology and Medical Director/Cardiology, Virtua West
Jersey.

SOURCE Virtua Health

Peggy Leone of Virtua Health, +1-856-355-0821, pleone@virtua.org