Abiomed has announced that the first patient in Japan has been treated successfully with Impella 5.5 forward flow heart pump with SmartAssist. Additionally, the number of patients treated globally has surpassed 5,000.
The first Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist procedure in Japan took place at Osaka Police Hospital when an 82-year-old man was treated for cardiogenic shock.
“Our facility is proud to be the first in Japan to treat patients using Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist,” said Yoshiki Sawa, director at Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka, Japan. “We are excited to utilise this innovative technology and look forward to providing a minimally invasive surgical option for our acute heart failure patients.”
The milestone 5,000th procedure was performed by Tamer Attia at Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, USA on a 41-year-old woman with cardiomyopathy.
“Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist has completely changed how we are able to support our cardiogenic shock and cardiomyopathy patients,” said Mani Daneshmand, chief of the section of thoracic transplant and mechanical circulatory support surgery at Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, USA. “Given the safety and efficacy of Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist, Dr Attia and his team are able to treat patients who otherwise would not have had other options for heart recovery.”
