Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

Responding to the need of the community, Bayonne Medical Center opened its first Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in July of 1997 under the Low-Risk Pilot Program of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJ-DHSS). With clinical and performance outcomes above State standards, the program was elevated to a Full Service Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization facility in October of 2002 by the NJ-DHSS, further expanding the facility's services to the community.

With the maturation of the Cardiac Catheterization and Invasive Cardiology program, Bayonne Medical Center was able to apply for and received a Certificate of Need by NJ-DHSS to develop and implement the Primary Angioplasty program in January 2006 (opening up of clogged artery with balloon or stent). Under the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines, Primary Angioplasty is considered the treatment of choice for Acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) or "Heart Attack." Multiple studies have repeatedly demonstrated significant reduction in death rate for heart attack patients treated with primary angioplasty compared to those treated with traditional thrombolytics (clot-busters).

"TIME is MUSCLE" - thousands of heart muscle cells die every minute the artery remains clogged; so the goal for acute STEMI patients is to open the clogged/closed artery causing the Heart Attack As Soon As Possible. With the nearest facility in Hudson County providing angioplasty several miles away, Bayonne township residents lose valuable time in receiving this life-saving medical treatment. The inclusion of Primary Angioplasty program to the Bayonne Medical Center's Cardiac program allowed our cardiologists and the medical staff to provide a much needed health service to the local community.

Capitalizing on its consistently high clinical and performance standards, Bayonne Medical Center applied for and was selected by NJ-DHSS to participate in the Atlantic C-PORT E Trial of Elective Angioplasty in Hospitals with no Surgery on Site (SOS), a multi-state, multi-center study conducted by Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. The program commenced operations in April 2006 and has continually further served the residents of Bayonne and the surrounding boroughs.

With the aim of serving our patients better, Bayonne Medical Center combined its cardiac and vascular services and created the Cardiovascular Department in late 2009. In this integrated service, patient's cardiac/vascular diagnostic and therapeutic needs from head to toe can be addressed in one department. In line with this, Bayonne Medical Center installed a state of the art imaging system in its newly renovated cardiovascular suite, and will be available to our physicians and patients in April 2010.

Services Provided:
  • Diagnostic Left and Right Heart Catheterizations
  • Coronary Angiograms
  • Emergency Angioplasty for Acute STEMI
  • Elective Angioplasty (under the Atlantic C-PORT E Trial)
  • Permanent Pacemaker Insertions
  • Carotid Stenting
  • Renal Artery Stenting
  • Lower Extremity Arterial Angiogram and Angioplasty

Physicians on Staff:


  • Peter Wong, MD
  • Peter Smith, MD
  • Ajay Agarwala, MD
  • Rakesh Passi, MD
  • Ramzan Zakir, MD
  • Mohamad Asif, MD
  • Mohamad Sandhu, MD
  • James Hefferan, MD
  • Barry Elkind, MD
  • Madhu Salvaji, MD

Contact Information:

Bayonne Medical Center
Cardiovascular Department
(201) 858 7654