November 24, 2008 - Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, NJ said this week it successfully debuted the new Impella LP 2.5 minimally-invasive, catheter-based cardiac assist device in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac interventions.
The Impella 2.5, made by Abiomed, received FDA approval in June and is the world’s smallest heart pump. It is inserted through the skin in the cath lab via the femoral artery into the left ventricle of the heart. Up to 2.5 liters of blood per minute can then be continuously pumped from the left ventricle into the ascending aorta, providing the heart with active support in critical situations. With this steady blood flow, patients who were too critical to receive a cardiac intervention can now have life-saving treatment, Deborah officials said. Deborah is the first hospital in south Jersey to use this technology.
“Our first use of the Impella device for high risk PCI went very smoothly and successfully,” said Dr. Tommy Ng who heads up Deborah’s Impella team. “This offers a wide range of possibilities for patients who previously were not candidates for a cardiac intervention. This device has the potential to bring a fundamental shift for patients in the cath lab.”
“We are excited about this new technology,” said Dr. Manu Rajachandran, director of Deborah’s cardiac catheterization laboratory. “This will give us the ability to reach patients who were previously too medically fragile to undergo procedures which could save their lives. It is gratifying once again to be at the cutting-edge in medicine.”
Deborah Heart and Lung Center is a 139-bed teaching hospital that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart, lung and vascular diseases in adults, as well as providing outpatient cardiology services for children.
For more information: www.deborah.org
October 31, 2023 
