The Impella® heart pump is inserted through a small incision and advanced through the arteries into the heart. Impella pulls blood from the left ventricle and releases it into the aorta, providing pumping support. This active ‘unloading’ of the left ventricle increases blood flow to vital organs. When support is no longer needed, your cardiologist will remove Impella before you leave the hospital.
Improve Your Quality of Life
Protected PCI with Impella can be a safe treatment option to address severe coronary artery disease or advanced heart failure. Answer a few questions to see if you may be a candidate.
You are considered a high-risk patient if:
- Your heart team has told you that angioplasty or stent placement is too risky
- There’s nothing more your physician can do to address your symptoms
- You are not a candidate for surgery due to your risk factors
- You have other health concerns that increase the risk of traditional stenting or heart surgery such as chronic kidney disease
For some patients, their doctors may determine their heart disease is too severe for stenting and too high-risk for surgery. An Impella-supported stenting procedure, also known as Protected PCI, is a nonsurgical, minimally invasive procedure performed in a catheterization lab by an interventional cardiologist.
During a protected percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), Impella heart pumps temporarily assist the pumping function of the heart during stent placement to ensure blood flow is maintained to critical organs.
NPS-1760