Southern Ocean Medical Center Advances Cardiovascular Care

Manahawkin, NJ – July 15, 2026 – Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center (SOMC) today announced a significant expansion of its cardiovascular services with the introduction of enhanced treatment offerings. The investment brings innovative, minimally invasive procedures to the community, including the DETOUR System for percutaneous transfemoral arterial bypass (PTAB) and the CardioMEMS™ HF System for heart failure monitoring. This development highlights the hospital's rapid growth in cardiac care and its commitment to providing advanced treatment options close to home.

The new services are available through the Armellino Family Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory – a state-of-the-art, hybrid cath lab space – enabling physicians to perform complex procedures that previously required patient transfers to larger medical centers. This advancement is a key part of SOMC’s multi-year effort to build a comprehensive, high-quality cardiovascular program to serve the growing needs of Ocean County.

Two of the advanced procedures now available are:

• The DETOUR Procedure: A minimally invasive technique to bypass long, complex blockages in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) in the leg. Using the DETOUR System, physicians can create a bypass for patients with advanced peripheral artery disease (PAD), common in older adults, who may not be candidates for traditional open surgery.
• CardioMEMS™ HF System: Designed for patients with heart failure, a tiny, wireless sensor is implanted in the pulmonary artery to measure and transmit data about a patient's condition directly to their cardiology team. This monitoring allows for proactive medication adjustments and lifestyle recommendations, and has been proven to reduce hospital admissions for heart failure, which typically impacts older generations.

"The investment in our hybrid catheterization labs, alongside a growing team of expert cardiologists, represents a pivotal moment for Southern Ocean Medical Center and the communities we serve," said Brian Walch, MS, PT, MBA, president and chief hospital executive at SOMC. “In recent years we  have fundamentally expanded access to advanced, minimally invasive cardiovascular treatments previously unavailable at SOMC. Bringing procedures like DETOUR PTAB and CardioMEMS to our patients right here in southern Ocean County is a cornerstone of our commitment to growing with our community and ensuring they receive exceptional care close to home."

This expansion builds on the hospital's recent achievements and national recognition. In 2025 and 2026, SOMC earned the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) most prestigious recognition - HeartCARE Center™ National Distinction of Excellence. This award recognizes the hospital's commitment to a comprehensive, high-quality culture of cardiovascular care. To achieve this, hospitals must meet stringent criteria, including participation in multiple ACC Accreditation programs and national cardiovascular data registries.

 “At Southern Ocean Medical Center we have dedicated ourselves to providing our community exemplary cardiovascular care, and these new services are a testament to that commitment, bringing the latest innovations directly to our patients,” said James Orlando, M.D., director of the Armellino Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at SOMC. 

The growth of SOMC's cardiac services has been a strategic focus, with the hospital earning approval to perform elective angioplasty (also known as percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI) in early 2025, allowing cardiologists to schedule procedures to open blocked arteries for stable patients. This is in addition to life-saving, emergency PCI for patients with acute heart attack. Other recently added offerings include renal denervation through the SymplicityTM procedure for uncontrolled hypertension – a catheter-based procedure done in the cath lab for patients who present with heart failure from uncontrolled hypertension – and the FlowTriever® catheter used by the pulmonary embolism response team to suction clots from the pulmonary artery.

“These advancements ensure patients have access to a full spectrum of cardiac care, from diagnosis and emergency intervention to advanced, minimally invasive treatments and ongoing disease management,” added Dr. Orlando.

For more information about cardiovascular care at Southern Ocean Medical Center and HMH, visit hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/services/heart-care.       

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