Top Cardiologists for Atrial Fibrillation in New Jersey

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center | Bayonne, NJ

Marc Roelke is a cardiologist at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Bayonne with a clinical background in cardiac electrophysiology and device-based management of heart rhythm problems. His published work spans implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, ventricular pacing, and the procedural techniques that underlie modern AFib care.

His research ^{1 2 3 4 5} includes work on how the percentage of right ventricular pacing affects patient outcomes — a finding from the DAVID trial with 362 citations in Heart Rhythm — as well as early work on transseptal catheterization, the technique used to access the left atrium during AFib ablation procedures. That 1994 paper, based on 1,279 procedures at Massachusetts General Hospital, documented complication rates and helped establish the safety profile of the approach that electrophysiologists now use routinely. For patients in the Bayonne area who are considering ablation or who have an ICD and are trying to understand their device, Dr. Roelke brings both the procedural background and the device management experience relevant to those questions.

Riverview Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Jersey Shore University Medical Center | Eatontown, NJ

Charles Koo is a cardiologist based in Eatontown with hospital affiliations at three Shore-area medical centers. His published research ^{6 7 8 9 10} includes work directly relevant to AFib ablation: a 2007 paper in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology that examined how ablating interatrial conduction pathways along the coronary sinus and fossa ovalis regions alters atrial fibrillation inducibility. That work explored whether targeting these specific anatomical sites could reduce AFib burden — a question that remains active in electrophysiology research. Dr. Koo also has published on defibrillator lead sensing configurations and arrhythmia management in rare neuromuscular conditions. For patients on the Jersey Shore who need a cardiologist with grounding in cardiac electrophysiology, his practice spans three nearby hospitals.

Hackensack University Medical Center, Hudson Regional Hospital | Hackensack, NJ

George Stoupakis is a cardiologist at Hackensack University Medical Center whose published work ^{11 12 13 14 15} focuses on heart failure, natriuretic peptides, and cardiac imaging. His 2003 review of natriuretic peptides in Heart Disease, cited 62 times, covers BNP physiology and its role in managing patients with left ventricular dysfunction — conditions that frequently co-exist with AFib and can complicate treatment decisions. He has also published on percutaneous coronary intervention and myocardial perfusion. For patients in Hackensack with AFib in the setting of heart failure or structural heart disease, Dr. Stoupakis's experience in both areas is relevant: AFib management often changes substantially once left ventricular function is impaired.

Hackensack University Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center | Berkeley Heights, NJ

Robert Altman is a cardiologist with appointments at Hackensack University Medical Center and Morristown Medical Center. His research ^{16 17 18 19 20} concentrates on cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) — the device-based treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. A 2012 paper in Clinical Cardiology he contributed to identified which patient characteristics predict a favorable response to CRT, and a 2011 study in the American Journal of Cardiology examined low-dose dobutamine echocardiography as a pre-implant predictor of outcomes. He also contributed to research on perioperative risk in heart failure patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. For AFib patients who also carry a diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction — a combination that changes both rhythm and device management — Dr. Altman's depth in CRT and cardiac imaging makes him worth knowing about.

Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell, Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian, St. Mary Medical Center | Lawrenceville, NJ

Richard Hyman is a cardiologist practicing in Lawrenceville with affiliations at Capital Health Medical Center and Penn Presbyterian. His published research ²¹ includes a 1997 case report in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography describing pulmonary embolism arising from a right atrial thrombus after coronary bypass surgery — a scenario that illustrates the thromboembolic risks that accompany cardiac surgery and atrial dysfunction. Anticoagulation to prevent stroke is one of the most consequential decisions in AFib management, and cardiologists who practice at academic-affiliated centers like Penn Presbyterian bring familiarity with complex anticoagulation cases. For patients in the Mercer County area looking for a cardiologist with ties to a major academic medical system, Dr. Hyman's multi-site practice gives access to that level of care without traveling to Philadelphia.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Saint Peter's University Hospital | Somerset, NJ

Subhashini Gowda is a cardiologist at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Saint Peter's University Hospital in Somerset. Her published research ^{22 23 24 25 26} includes a 2005 paper in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases on cardioversion of atrial fibrillation — one of the most common rhythm management decisions clinicians face when a patient presents in AFib. She has also published on hemodynamic monitoring in heart failure and transplant populations, and on surgical management of cardiac masses. For patients in Somerset County who have been told they need cardioversion or are weighing their options between rate control and rhythm restoration, Dr. Gowda has direct research experience with that specific decision.