Interventional cardiologists at Henry Ford Health in Detroit are the first in Michigan to treat a patient using the Impella RP Flex with SmartAssist, one of the world’s smallest heart pumps.
The pump, which provides temporary right heart mechanical circulatory support, allows Henry Ford Health physicians provide more comprehensive and advanced care options to patients in Michigan experiencing acute right heart failure.
“Henry Ford Health is recognized as the leading provider of cardiovascular care in our region and beyond,” says Dr. Khaldoon Alaswad, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Henry Ford Hospital. “The new heart pump provides our physicians an innovative tool to treat patients experiencing right heart failure.”
The Impella RP Flex technology received U.S. FDA pre-market approval in October 2022 as safe and effective to treat acute right heart failure or decompensation for up to 14 days following left ventricular assist device implantation, myocardial infarction, heart transplant, or open-heart surgery. The pump is implanted via the internal jugular vein, which enables patient mobility, and its dual-sensor technology is designed to optimize patient management.
“The heart pump’s novel technology allows us to treat right heart failure more effectively,” says Dr. Akshay Khandelwal, an interventional cardiologist and associate division head of cardiology at Henry Ford Health. “By allowing a patient’s own heart to rest and recover, we can help improve their quality of life.”
Henry Ford Health heart and vascular teams specialize in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular conditions using minimally invasive techniques. Many of these procedures take place in cardiac catheterization labs.
The cardiac cath lab is a special examination room featuring state-of-the-art equipment and specially trained staff who carry out procedures using catheters to access patients’ hearts and surrounding structures through tiny incisions. Henry Ford Hospital also was first in Michigan to use the radial approach technique to access the heart using radial artery in patients’ wrists, allowing most patients to go home the same day as their procedure.
Globally, more than 250,000 patients have benefited from the Impella heart pump support, developed by Abiomed, a medical device technology company based in Massachusetts.
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