OMHS pioneering use of new heart recovery device
Abiomed Impella 2.5 reduces heart's workload during cardiac procedures
A cardiologist at Owensboro Medical Health System has treated the hospital’s first patient enrolled in the FDA-approved PROTECT II pivotal trial to test the Abiomed Impella 2.5 heart recovery device.
Roshan Mathew, MD, FACC, FACP, an interventional cardiologist in practice at Green River Heart Institute, used the Impella to provide added heart function for 81-year-old Les Chapman during a recent procedure to open his arteries and implant stents.
The objective of the PROTECT II study is to assess the safety and efficiency of the Impella device as compared to the intra-aortic balloon pump, a standard device used to provide added heart function for patients during complex cardiac procedures.
Abiomed approached Mathew to open the trial at OMHS and serve as the site’s principle investigator because of his long-time experience and expertise with Abiomed systems. Mathew served on the medical staff at Boston ’s Lahey Clinic when that hospital employed Abiomed’s first percutaneous ventricular assist device in 1998.
“OMHS is one of the first hospitals offering this trial for patients,” Mathew said. “As a result, the successful cases are beginning to generate high interest from leading cardiac hospitals and clinicians.”
Chapman, like many patients suffering from reduced heart function, has lived with his heart disease for many years, and was told there were no other options. The Impella device improves safety and quality of care for patients. It enables physicians to treat high-risk patients like Chapman with the Impella—instead of using the standard balloon pump, which requires increased medications during procedures and longer hospital stays.
“Mr. Chapman’s blood pressure, heart rate and cardiac output—all his vital signs—were fantastic during the procedure,” Mathew said of the procedure, which lasted just under two hours.
Mathew believes the outcome of the study will help redefine the standard of heart care for all patients at OMHS.
OMHS operates Owensboro Medical Heart Center , a partnership with Jewish Hospital Heart & Lung Institute and University Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates (UCSA), Louisville.
Owensboro Medical Health System serves an 11-county region in western Kentucky and southern Indiana . The hospital’s mission is to heal the sick and to improve the health of the community, with a vision to meet the region’s healthcare needs by actively listening and partnering with those it serves. OMHS is a full-service hospital, employing a workforce of over 3,100. In addition to hospital and rehabilitation services, OMHS operates three outpatient diagnostic centers, the HealthPark (a medical-based fitness center), home health services, a wound healing center, the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center and the McAuley Clinic, which provides healthcare for the uninsured. OMHS also operates Western Kentucky Rheumatology Center and Pennyrile Pulmonary Critical Care, Owensboro ; and MultiCare Tell City (IN) and MultiCare Madisonville (KY). Visit the hospital’s website at omhs.org.
About Abiomed
Based in Danvers, Massachusetts, Abiomed, Inc., is a leading provider of medical devices that provide circulatory support to acute heart failure patients across the continuum of care in heart recovery. Our products are designed to enable the heart to rest, heal and recover by improving blood flow and/or performing the pumping of the heart. For additional information please visit: www.abiomed.com.