New Heart Saving Device Technology
The Food and Drug Administration announced approval of a heart pump that has already been in use in 40 other nations worldwide. The Impella 2.5 Cardiac Assist Device that delivers up to 2.5 liters of blood per minute delivered by the heart pump from the left ventricle into the ascending aorta. The Danvers, Mass. Medical technology company, Abiomed Inc. manufactures the Impella 2.5 Cardiac Assist Device which according to Abiomed, the device provides quick and minimally invasive circulatory support for critical heart patients.
According to Abiomed, the Impella 2.5 medical Cardiac Assist Device will change the standard of care in catheterization labs.
How does the Impella 2.5 Cardiac Assist Device work? It is inserted through a catheter into the patient's femoral artery and then moved into the heart's left ventricle. Up to 2.5 liters of blood per minute are delivered by the pump from the left ventricle into the ascending aorta, providing the heart with active support in critical situations for partial circulatory support for periods of up to six hours.
So far the Impella 2.5 Cardiac Assist Device has been used to treat more than 1,500 patients outside the United States for up to seven days of support.
More Lifesaving Heart Device News
June 1-7 was National CPR/AED Awareness Week. CPR, a common acronym everyone is aware of is, stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. An AED is a small, portable device that can send an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart and restore a patient's heart rhythm to normal levels before emergency crews arrive on the scene.
The city of Boca Raton, Fla. has been a leader in the effort to promote the use of AEDs. In Boca Raton, the AED devices are carried in all the police cruisers and fire apparatus and are available in most city buildings.
Boca Raton has also made dozens of the AEDs available to community organizations at no charge, as long as someone from the group is trained to use it. Boca Raton has a proportionately large number of senior citizens and baby boomers.
Boca Raton is also purchasing the AutoPulse automatic CPR device for its rescue trucks; the city already has six of the heart devices and recently applied for a grant to purchase three more.
CPR vs. Defibrillators
Which is more effective CPR or a defibrillator? According to a recent study, both are effective but CPR costs far less. Defibrillators cost more than $1,000 and who knows if someone will be with the heart patient during his/her cardiac arrest?
Since defibrillators are costly, some think the money is better spent on CPR training.
Cardiac arrest happens when the heart beats chaotically. Automated external defibrillators or AEDs can shock it back into normal rhythm. AEDs have been successfully used by ordinary bystanders doing extraordinary things in public places.
In the study, the overall survival for both CPR and defibrillators was comparable and far better than the researchers expected. In both cases, some people panicked and failed to act with any common sense.
For diabetics, defibrillators made more sense.
If high school students were trained on CPR just like geometry and physical education, within a few years there would be an entire generation able to provide a much needed service to their elders.
