The new Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Hunterdon Medical Center had its first patient in January 2016.
Hunterdon Healthcare opened its Cardiac Critical Care Unit, located in the Norman and Denise Guilloud Cardiovascular Center on the fifth floor of Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township, on Jan. 25, and soon had its first patient, Belvidere resident James Mooney.
Mooney was having a heart attack and after being admitted to the Emergency Department was transported to Hunterdon Medical Center's cardiac catheterization lab for a primary angioplasty, according to a news release. He received two stents to open up his blocked coronary artery and blood flow was restored to his heart.
After his procedure, Mooney received specialized care and was closely monitored in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit.
"I think it is great that I am able to receive this kind of care, so close to home," Mooney said.
According to a news release, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Hunterdon County. It is on the rise, in part, because of the growing number of area residents between the ages of 45 and 64, a time in life in which the onset of cardiovascular disease is most likely to occur.
The Norman and Denise Guilloud Cardiovascular Center opened in June and includes two cardiac catheterization labs providing emergency coronary intervention, carotid and peripheral angioplasty, a Cardiac Critical Care Unit, 20 private patient rooms, expanded space for cardiac imaging and intervention and the creation of specialty clinics in congestive heart failure and stroke and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services.
Hunterdon Healthcare has 10 board-certified cardiologists. According to Hunterdon Medical Center, cardiac patients at the hospital spend an average of 55-minutes from the time they arrive at the medical center to the time they receive a an emergency angioplasty. National guidelines recommend heart attack patients receive this procedure within 90 minutes of arriving at a hospital.
The building was named as a result of a leadership level gift by Stockton residents, Dr. Norman and Denise Guilloud. Over 5,000 gifts were made to support the capital campaign, Investing in a New Generation of Care that helped to fund the construction of the Norman and Denise Guilloud Cardiovascular Center.