World's smallest heart pump saves a 78 yr old with critical blockages of major arteries of the heart

May 06 , 2022 | 1 min read

A 78-year-old man, Rahul (name changed) from Patna, had critical blockages of major arteries of the heart. But he was denied surgery by multiple doctors due to the risk involved during the operation. However, things changed positively for him when he had approached Dr. Viveka Kumar - Principal Director & Chief of Cath labs (Pan Max) - Cardiac Sciences. He decided to operate him with the support of the world's smallest heart pump called "Impella".

Finally, on 2nd December, a team of experts at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket at Delhi, operated on him, and he is now doing much better. "When the heart is weak, have moderate to severe heart failure symptoms, multiple blockages in the arteries, coupled with other conditions such as old age, lung disease, kidney problems or any conditions which are considered too high risk for surgery, the risk of complications on the table are very high," said Dr. Viveka Kumar.

“We inserted an Impella pump before the procedure, which assisted the pumping function of his weak heart, allowing constant flow to all the major organs, including heart, kidney, and brain, throughout the procedure and allowed us to open up all the blockages completely. Once the procedure was completed, the pump was gradually weaned off. Without the Impella heart pump, my patient would not have qualified for this high-risk procedure," said Dr. Viveka Kumar. "His heart was simply too weak to pump blood during complex angioplasty. The Impella heart pump made it possible for him to have this life-saving treatment.

"As the technology advances, physicians are treating more complex patients, including those who are too high risk for surgery. In these subsets of patients performing an Angioplasty without the support of a heart, the pump would have been a disaster," he further added.

"Impella heart pump is approved by US-FDA, and more than 170,000 patients have been supported by it across the globe. It is inserted through the groin with a small puncture through a vessel and does not require open-heart surgery. In addition, the benefits of using an Impella continue long after the procedure has been completed", said Dr. Kamlesh Kothawade, Head of Medical Affair & Therapy Development, Asia-Pacific at ABIOMED.

The patient is very satisfied with the treatment and highly grateful to the doctors for saving his life.