Cardiologists at Mercy Cardiology Associates have conducted their first procedures at Centura Health-Mercy Regional Medical Center using Impella, the world’s smallest heart pump.
Designed to provide minimally-invasive, temporary support for patients with heart failure, technology like Impella will allow Mercy to provide more comprehensive and advanced care options to patients with advanced coronary disease. Impella allows patients to recover their native heart, which is ideal for quality of life, and has the potential to save costs in the health care system.
The Impella device is responsible for saving the life of a patient who was transferred to Mercy in need of urgent cardiac care. Given the severity of this patient’s condition, an Impella device was implanted. The use of the device enabled local medical professionals to safely transfer the patient to a higher level of care at one of Mercy’s sister facilities.
Impella is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved percutaneous hemodynamic support device determined to be safe and effective for the treatment of elective and emergent high-risk patients.
The Impella device is placed into the heart through a peripheral artery and will support the heart circulatory system during an elective high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention procedure. It is also approved to treat cardiogenic shock, which typically happens during or after a heart attack. Impella works for the heart, allowing it to rest and recover while doctors place stents in the patient’s arteries to unblock them and increase blood flow.
