"Literally, within an hour, we can open an artery," says Andrey Espinoza, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Hunterdon Medical Center. This kind of expeditious treatment of blocked arteries, known as primary or emergency angioplasty, is not only saving time but lives at Hunterdon Medical Center (HMC).

A minimally invasive procedure, angioplasty is now the preferred method for treating acute heart attacks because it can be accomplished in a short period of time with fewer complications than clot-dissolving drugs. Angioplasty is also being used at HMC to open blocked arteries throughout the rest of the body, particularly in the neck.

"We know how well angioplasty works with heart attacks," Dr. Espinoza states. "Now we are learning how well it works with strokes as well."

Adds interventional cardiologist Glen Tonnessen, MD, "Hunterdon Medical Center was the first community hospital in New Jersey to perform carotid artery stenting for stroke prevention."

The procedure involves widening the carotid artery by inserting a balloon and installing a stent, or mesh-like tube, to keep it open. Due to the success rate of the program, HMC has been invited to participate in two national carotid artery clinical trials.

In 2005, HMC performed a life-saving first. Using carotid stenting, Dr. Espinoza treated a patient who was in the midst of a stroke. "When the patient arrived in the Emergency Room, he couldn't speak. He had a probable 99-percent blockage in his carotid artery that was compromising flow to his brain," Dr. Espinoza explains. "We quickly brought him into the catheterization lab and opened his artery with a stent procedure. He began to speak again, right on the table. It was very dramatic."

Dr. Espinoza looks forward to writing the next chapter in angioplasty, which will include performing intracranial (within the skull) angioplasty. "We recently performed the first intracranial angioplasty at HMC," says Dr. Tonnessen. "This is a very new procedure. We are pushing the envelope in cardiovascular care."

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