Hackensack University Medical Center Becomes First in New Jersey to Offer New Procedure to Diagnose Heart Disease in Small Blood Vessels

Interventional cardiologists at Hackensack University Medical Center are the first in the state to employ a novel method to assess the health of smaller arteries in the heart and pinpoint microvascular disease, which until now has presented a diagnostic challenge. Doctors use the Coroventisǂ CoroFlowǂ Cardiovascular System during coronary angiography to evaluate key measures of heart function and diagnose or rule out cardiac small vessel disease in people with symptoms such as chest pain — especially those with no evidence of significant blockages in the major coronary arteries.

Microvascular disease affects the inner lining and walls of very small blood vessels that branch off of the coronary arteries. Often these tiny conduits may not have plaque, but the damage from microvascular disease can cause spasms and reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to heart muscle. Small vessel heart disease is more common in women and men and can cause symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue. It is typically treated with medication, including drugs that may be different than those used to treat heart disease in larger blood vessels, as well as lifestyle modifications such as exercise and a healthy diet.

However, microvascular disease has been difficult to diagnose accurately and is not as easy to visualize during cardiac catheterization as atherosclerotic plaque in the major coronary arteries. The CoroFlow system is a wireless device used in conjunction with Abbott’s PressureWire™ X Guidewire. It generates hemodynamic data measuring the function of the epicardium (the outermost layer of the lining of the heart), the small blood vessels, and the ventricles (the heart’s largest pumping chambers). 

“The CoroFlow Cardiovascular System is a revolutionary diagnostic tool that’s only available at a handful of U.S. heart centers, including at Hackensack University Medical Center,” said Hackensack interventional cardiologist Ankitkumar Patel, MD. “It allows us to diagnose coronary microvascular dysfunction caused by invisible blockages in the heart’s smallest arteries.”

Since first using the System in March, Hackensack University Medical Center physicians have  done more than 50 cases with it. 

“With CoroFlow, we can accurately diagnose the presence or absence of microvascular disease, identify the causes of a patient’s symptoms, and determine the best treatment to relieve discomfort and improve quality of life and heart health,” said Dr. Patel. Among the first patients in which CoroFlow was used, Dr. Patel and his team confirmed or ruled out microvascular disease as the cause of chest pain, enabling them to match patients with the most effective therapies or refer them for diagnostic testing for other illnesses, such as acid reflux or a respiratory problem. 

Chest pain is one of the most common reasons for people to see their primary care physician, visit a cardiologist, or go to the emergency room. Without a diagnosis, patients often return to doctors or ERs repeatedly, searching for the cause of their discomfort. For many people with unexplained chest pain, CoroFlow can provide an answer they previously did not have and confirm that what they have been feeling is something real — and treatable. “By the time a patient leaves the catheterization lab after CoroFlow, they have a definitive answer about whether or not their chest pain is due to a heart problem,” explained Dr. Patel. “That’s profoundly powerful for patients, because not knowing and not having a treatment plan can be the worst part of any medical complaint.”

“Now that we have this novel technology to make the diagnosis of microvascular disease, we’ll be able to study this condition further and come up with better treatments,” he continued. “This enables Hackensack to be at the forefront of cardiology. Our ability to offer this procedure to our patients is another example of our commitment to providing heart care to the people of New Jersey and surrounding areas using the most advanced techniques.”

Learn more about heart care at Hackensack University Medical Center. To make an appointment, please call 844-HMH-WELL.

ABOUT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

Hackensack University Medical Center, a 803-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital, was Bergen County’s first hospital founded in 1888. It was also the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet®-recognized hospital for nursing excellence, receiving its sixth consecutive designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The academic flagship of the Hackensack Meridian Health network, Hackensack University Medical Center is Nationally-Ranked by U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. The hospital is home to the state’s only nationally-ranked Urology and Neurology & Neurosurgery programs, as well as the best Cardiology & Heart Surgery program. It also offers patients nationally-ranked Orthopedic care and one of the state’s premier Cancer Centers (John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center). Hackensack University Medical Center also ranked as High-Performing in conditions such as Acute Kidney Failure, Heart Attack (AMI), Heart Failure, Pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Diabetes and Stroke. As well as High Performing in procedures like Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG), Colon Cancer Surgery, Lung Cancer Surgery, Prostate Cancer Surgery, Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement. Named to  Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals 2023 list, Hackensack University Medical Center is also the recipient of the 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ by Healthgrades as well as an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This award-winning care is provided on a campus that is home to facilities such as the Heart & Vascular Hospital; and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women’s and Children’s Pavilion, which houses the Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital and the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital Report. Additionally, the children’s nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. Hackensack University Medical Center is also home to the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center and is listed on the Green Guide’s list of Top 10 Green Hospitals in the U.S. Our comprehensive clinical research portfolio includes studies focused on precision medicine, translational medicine, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development. The hospital has embarked on the largest healthcare expansion project ever approved by the state: Construction of the Helena Theurer Pavilion, a 530,000-sq.-ft., nine-story building, which began in 2019. A $714.2 million endeavor, the pavilion is one the largest healthcare capital projects in New Jersey and will house 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms with intraoperative MRI capability, 50 ICU beds, and 175 medical/surgical beds including a 50 room Musculoskeletal Institute. 

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