New device first to support right side of heart during failure

More than 6 million Americans suffer from heart failure, meaning the heart can’t pump enough blood to support the rest of the organs in the body. Doctors have used left ventricular assist devices for years to help patients get stronger. But doctors in the U.S. are now the first in the world to use a device for the right side of the heart.

When someone is in heart failure, doctors can use a small mechanical device called an l-vad to help pump blood and give the heart a chance to rest and recover.

“Historically, we were focusing mostly on the left ventricle,” said Dr. Yuriy Dudiy, a cardiac surgeon at Hackensack University Medical Center. “But now, we’re realizing that patients that have RV failure are not doing well.”

Dudiy and his colleagues were the first in the world to use a temporary device to support the right side of the heart. Surgeons implant the Impella RP Flex by going through the internal jugular vein with a catheter.

“Impella RP Flex is designed to be inserted percutaneously, which means just with the needle stick, and it goes into the heart and provides support to the right ventricle,” Dudiy said.

The device can be used for up to 14 days before removal. It is designed to let the patient remain mobile.

“The benefit of going through the neck is that patient can… sit upright or can ambulate in the intensive care unit while recovering,” Dudiy said.

This means patients and hearts can get stronger sooner than ever before.

The device can also provide support to patients awaiting a heart transplant. The first three patients to undergo the Impella RP Flex implant have been weaned from the device. Two have gone home and did not need heart transplant surgery.