First-of-its-kind resource in New Jersey for diagnosis and treatment of rare cardiac conditions
(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) have established the Cardiac Amyloidosis and Cardiomyopathy Center, located at the hospital. The multidisciplinary center seeks to diagnose patients with rare, but potentially fatal, amyloid conditions earlier, as well as treat them more effectively through personalized medicine.
Amyloidosis is a rare condition caused by an abnormal protein that accumulates in organs, like the heart, kidneys, nerves or liver. Often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed due to its subtle symptoms and multiple organ involvement, at least one type of the amyloidosis can be fatal in six months.
Patients in the Cardiac Amyloidosis and Cardiomyopathy Center at RWJUH will benefit from specialists across a broad range of disciplines including cardiology, neurology, hematology, nephrology, pathology and bone marrow transplantation. The clinical teams will work to identify the forms of the disease and develop an effective, personalized treatment plan.
Sabahat Bokhari, MD, an internationally recognized amyloidosis expert, will serve as director of the center, the first program of its kind in New Jersey. He joins as a Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension, RWJMS, and will be the Director of Advanced Cardiac Imaging at RWJUH, as well as the Program Director of the Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellowship Program. Dr. Bokhari pioneered the development of a non-invasive imaging method, called Technetium-Pyrophosphate (Tc-99m PYP) imaging, that is used worldwide and is recommended by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and American Society of Nuclear Cardiology for the evaluation of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). He has served as the Director of Nuclear Cardiology and Advanced Cardiac Imaging at the New York—Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and at the Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. Dr. Bokhari has trained candidates from top tier cardiology programs throughout the country.
“Amyloidosis can be a serious medical condition if it is not diagnosed properly,” Dr. Bokhari explains. “Our Center combines expertise across a broad range of disciplines with the most advanced cardiac imaging capabilities to identify these conditions much earlier and develop individual treatment plans for patients that will give patients the best chance to live longer and more healthy, active lives.”
Partho Sengupta, MD, FACC, Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension at RWJMS, and Chief of Cardiology at RWJUH, adds, “Dr. Bokhari brings a wealth of knowledge in this field and the capabilities to dramatically impact the heath of people in New Jersey and the region. A center like this can only exist at an academic medical center where there is broad expertise across many disciplines that can be convened to benefit patients. Dr. Bokhari is enabling that for our state and beyond, and will advance our vision for academic medicine enabled by technology and collaboration.”
About Amyloidosis
Amyloidosis is caused by an abnormal protein that accumulates in organs, like the heart, kidneys, nerves or liver. In the heart, for example, it stiffens the walls of the heart, making it much less efficient at pumping blood through the body. Nearly all amyloidosis cases fall into two types: AL amyloidosis, also called primary amyloidosis, and transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis. There are two types of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis – hereditary and wild type. If left untreated, AL amyloidosis can be fatal in six months. Hereditary or familial amyloidosis can be fatal in 2.5 to 3.5 years on average.
Amyloidosis can be challenging to diagnose because its symptoms can be the same as other conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or heart failure. Other potential symptoms include an irregular heartbeat, heart blocks, lightheadedness, tingling or numbness of extremities, diarrhea or constipation, shortness of breath, severe fatigue and swelling in the legs and ankles, etc.
To learn more about the Cardiac Amyloidosis and Cardiomyopathy Center at RWJUH, please call 1-866-NJAMYLOID / 1-866-652-6956 or visit: www.rwjbh.org/rwjuhamyloidosis
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), a 614-bed RWJBarnabas Health facility, is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and provides quaternary care in its Centers of Excellence, which include cardiovascular care, from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care. It is home to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org) a RWJBarnabas Children’s Health facility and the hub of NJ’s only academic pediatric campus with Rutgers Child Health Institute and the PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital for Rehabilitation. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. Learn more at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick
About Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. Part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 20 basic science and clinical departments, and hosts centers and institutes including The Cardiovascular Institute, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, and the Women's Health Institute. The medical school has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the top 100 medical schools in the nation and No. 1 in the state for research and primary care.
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility and the medical school's principal affiliate, comprise one of the nation's premier academic medical centers. Clinical services are provided by more than 500 faculty physicians in 200+ specialties and subspecialties as part of Rutgers Health, the clinical arm of Rutgers University.
The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels on its campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, visit rwjms.rutgers.edu. Find us online at: www.Facebook.com/RWJMedicalSchool and www.twitter.com/RWJMS.
Contact:
Peter Haigney, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Public Relations
732-937-8568 (o) 908-227-9317 (m)
Peter.haigney@rwjbh.org