
The Impella pulls blood from the ventricle and pushes it out into the aorta, delivering oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body. This allows your heart to rest while the doctor performs the PCI. Once the PCI procedure is complete, the Impella is turned off and guided out.
How does the Impella heart pump work?
How does the Impella heart pump work? The Impella Ventricular Support System helps pump blood through the body by pulling blood out of the heart and pumping it into the aorta, bypassing the left ventricle (the left ventricle is the thickest of the heart's chambers and is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to tissues all over the body).
What is imimpella used for?
Impella has been increasingly used in patients with: Severe heart failure - When the heart muscle is weak, blood cannot be pumped efficiently enough to get oxygen to all of the cells. Sometimes the heart becomes enlarged and weak. Other times it may be thick and stiff. Over time, the heart cannot keep up with its workload.
How does the Impella work during PCI?
The Impella pulls blood from the ventricle and pushes it out into the aorta, delivering oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body. This allows your heart to rest while the doctor performs the PCI. Once the PCI procedure is complete, the Impella is turned off and guided out.
Are Impella heart pumps safe?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Impella its highest level of approval as safe and effective. In a randomized controlled trial, 8-in-10 patients treated with Impella heart pumps experienced reduction in heart failure symptoms or improvement in heart function. 1

How long can you be on Impella?
The Impella RP System is indicated for providing temporary right ventricular support for up to 14 days in patients with a body surface area ≥1.5 m2, who develop acute right heart failure or decompensation following left ventricular assist device implantation, myocardial infarction, heart transplant, or open-heart ...
Why would a patient need an Impella?
Impella (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) is a percutaneously inserted ventricular assist device (VAD). It has been increasingly used in patients with severe heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and high-risk percutaneous intervention (PCI).
What is the difference between Impella and ECMO?
The Impella pumps blood in parallel with the heart. It aspirates blood directly from the LV into the aorta, thereby maintaining physiological flow. On the other hand, while VA-ECMO also pumps in parallel with heart, it results in a non-physiological flow.
What is the difference between Impella and balloon pump?
The Impella heart pump has fewer adverse effects than the IABP. Patients supported with the Impella heart pump have fewer repeated hospital readmissions compared to patients supported with the IABP.
Can an Impella patient go home?
Both the Impella® blood pump and its console are only approved for use in the hospital, so you cannot be discharged home from the hospital while the Impella® heart is in place.
What does an Impella do in the heart?
The Impella device is a catheter-based miniaturized ventricular assist device that pumps blood from left ventricle (LV) into ascending aorta and responsible for systemic circulation at an upper rate between 2.5 and 5.0 L/min.
Is impella an LVAD?
What is Impella? Impella Ventricular Support System is a small Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). It is designed to help pump blood in patients who require short term support. The device is a tiny pump inside of a catheter with an electric motor that can deliver about 2.5 liters of blood per minute to the body.
Is impella an ECMO?
ECMO is a temporary fix that is usually used only for a few days. If longer support is needed, axillary placement of an Impella should be used as a bridge to recovery, transplant, or a durable LVAD. The Impella device (Figure 3) is a miniature rotary blood pump increasingly used to treat cardiogenic shock.
Who invented the Impella?
Thorsten SiessThorsten Siess, Abiomed's Chief Technology Officer and Inventor of Impella® Shares his Insights on the Impella Platform of Heart Pumps.
How long does Impella surgery take?
The Impella was successfully inserted in all cases with a median duration of support of 70 minutes (range, 4 - 5760 minutes).
What are the 6 types of VADS?
Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) & Total Artificial Heart (TAH)HeartMate 3 LVAD. The HeartMate 3 is the newest type of LVAD that the FDA has approved. ... HeartWare (HVAD) The HeartWare™ HVAD™ is a small centrifugal pump. ... Heartmate II LVAD. ... Jarvik 2000.
How long can a balloon pump stay in?
How long can an intra-aortic balloon pump stay in? An intra-aortic balloon pump usually only stays in place for a few days. However, your provider may keep it in place for up to 30 days, or sometimes longer. An intra-aortic balloon pump is a device that controls blood flow through your heart.
Is an Impella permanent?
The Impella device is designed for temporary support and is used as a bridge to decision, for myocardial recovery, or as a bridge to a long-term solution such as LVAD. Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved this device for 6 hours of support.
How long does an Impella procedure take?
The Impella was successfully inserted in all cases with a median duration of support of 70 minutes (range, 4 - 5760 minutes). Bleeding complication occurred in 8%.
What is an Impella placement?
The Impella catheter is placed from the femoral artery in the groin and advanced from the aorta into the left ventricle.
When can I remove Impella?
Keep Impella at P-2 until you are ready to explant the device from the left ventricle. Once hemodynamics allow—CVP~10-12, CI>2—pull the catheter from the left ventricle into the aorta at P-2. Check ACT and remove Impella when ACT<150-160.
What is the impella?
The Impella pulls blood from the ventricle and pushes it out into the aorta, delivering oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body. This allows your heart to rest while the doctor performs the PCI. Once the PCI procedure is complete, the Impella is turned off and guided out.
Where is the Impella device placed?
The doctor makes a small incision in your upper thigh and inserts a fine tube called a catheter into your femoral artery. The Impella device is then guided by the catheter and a wire into the left ventricle - the main pumping chamber - of your heart.
What is the role of the impella in PCI?
The Impella pulls blood from the ventricle and pushes it out into the aorta, delivering oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body. This allows your heart to rest while the doctor performs the PCI.
How is the Impella Placed in the Heart?
The doctor makes a small incision in your upper thigh and inserts a fine tube called a catheter into your femoral artery.
What is Impella heart pump?
Impella® is a percutaneous axial heart pump placed retrograde across the aortic valve into the left ventricle (LV) utilizing fluoroscopy +/- echocardiography. Its indications include high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, especially cardiogenic shock or signs of ongoing ischemia), post-cardiotomy failure, and myocarditis. In addition, it is routinely used as a bridge between other forms of circulatory support like intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP), ventricular assist devices (VAD), artificial hearts, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In 2014, the (underpowered) RECOVER RIGHT study showed benefits with the Impella RP device to help those with right-sided heart failure refractory to medical therapy. For this post, I’ll only discuss the traditional left-sided Impella.
Where is Impella 5.5 placed?
Impella 5.5 has a peak flow of over 6 liters/minute and is placed surgically in the axillary artery.
How long does Impella CP last?
The Impella 2.5™, Impella CP®, Impella 5.0™ and Impella LD™ catheters, in conjunction with the Automated Impella Controller, are temporary ventricular support devices intended for short term use ( ≤ 4 days for the Impella 2.5 and Impella CP, and ≤ 6 days for the Impella 5.0 and LD) and indicated for the treatment of ongoing cardiogenic shock that occurs immediately (< 48 hours) following acute myocardial infarction or open heart surgery as a result of isolated left ventricular failure that is not responsive to optimal medical management and conventional treatment measures.* The intent of the Impella system therapy is to reduce ventricular work and to provide the circulatory support necessary to allow heart recovery and early assessment of residual myocardial function.
How many liters per minute is an impella?
Impellas traditionally come in several flavors: Impella 2.5 (9 French catheter, 12 French motor) has a peak flow of 2.5 liters/minute and can be placed into the LV from the femoral artery. Impella CP (9 French catheter, 14 French motor) has a peak flow of 4.3 liters/minute and can also be placed from the femoral artery.
Can axillary impellas be ambulated?
I’m definitely a fan of axillary Impellas since patients can still ambulate, but femoral Impellas are very finicky regarding positioning. Because the inflow and outflow segments have to be properly positioned, if the patient moves their hip even slightly, they may move the catheter tip resulting in decreased cardiac output and suction events along the ventricular wall, valve, or chordae.
Can a microemboli be dislodged?
Additionally, microemboli and plaques can be dislodged leading to renal dysfunction, strokes, etc. With this in mind, a few contraindications to Impella placement include a mechanical aortic valve, significant aortic stenosis/insufficiency, LV thrombus/rupture, cardiac tamponade, and severe peripheral artery disease.
Why is Impella Important?
Protected PCI with Impella ensures blood flow is maintained to critical organs enabling your physician to perform a complete and optimized procedure, decreasing the likelihood of repeat procedures and multiple hospital stays.
What is Impella heart pump?
What are Impella Heart Pumps? Impella, the world’s smallest heart pump, is a support system of percutaneous catheter-based technology offering hemodynamic support to the heart. Impella has been treating patients in the United States since 2008. Impella heart pumps allow the heart to rest and recover by temporarily assisting ...
What was the name of the pump that Mongin used to pump his heart?
Mongin's heart recovery after the temporary support of Impella heart pump during his Protected PCI procedure.
What is the function of Impella?
Impella allows the heart to rest and recover by temporarily assisting the pumping function of the heart to efficiently deliver blood and oxygen to the entire body.
Why was Impella CP inserted?
Once the determination was made that a Protected PCI was the best option for Jeff, Impella CP was inserted to allow his heart to rest while his physicians performed a procedure to restore blood flow to parts of the body that may have suffered lack of blood flow. Learn More About Jeff's Recovery.
How long did Devan Smith recover from Impella?
The temporary support of Impella allowed Devan Smith to recover his heart after four days and resume his normal life with no limitations. Learn More About Devan’s Recovery. Shirley Polk developed peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) after the birth of her second child.
