Abiomed introduces third generation Impella CP heart pumps at SCAI 2017

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Abiomed third generation Impella CP

Abiomed has announced the debut of the third generation Impella CP heart pump at the Annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular and Angiography Interventions (SCAI 2017) in New Orleans, USA.

The technology offers new features for optimal care during protected PCI, and for patients being treated with Impella in the intensive care unit (ICU). The third generation Impella CP is a member of the Impella family of heart pumps which have the unique ability to unload the heart and enable native heart recovery, potentially allowing patients to return home with their own hearts.

The Impella is the world’s smallest heart pump and is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD) indicated as safe and effective for PCI in high-risk patients and patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMICS).

There are several new features on the Impella CP third generation that are designed to simplify patient management:

  • To maximise unloading of the heart in the cath lab, this next generation heart pump enables higher flow. Clinicians can see peak flows above four litres/minute for patients whose hearts need additional pumping support
  • New guide wire re-access sheath allows clinicians to re-access the femoral artery which enables the clinician to rapidly escalate care if needed
  • For ease of use, the insertion kit contains a new, proprietary, 25cm introducer sheath to facilitate the insertion of the device in challenging or tortuous femoral vessels, thus increasing the number of patients who could benefit from percutaneous hemodynamic support. This unique, long introducer sheath can be removed after pVAD insertion with a simple peel-away technique that is not possible with any other kind of introducer

The ability to maintain access to the arteriotomy is particularly vital to the care of patients supported by the Impella device in the ICU long-term, such as those in cardiogenic shock. In addition, the Impella CP third generation heart pump offers fewer steps when flushing the system as part of standard maintenance.

“It’s intuitive and user-friendly,” says Christiana Gartner, a nurse educator and experienced ICU nurse with extensive Impella experience at Greenville Health System who had the opportunity to test features of the third generation CP. She continues, “It is a time saver; you do not question what is coming next. This software will make it easier to take care of your patient in the ICU.”

Like all Impella heart pumps for the left side, the third generation CP devices are designed for optimal positioning in the left ventricle and feature a flexible catheter, radiopaque marker, cannula shape and pigtail. The third generation Impella CP devices are now available in the USA.