Tamil Nadu’s first Impella Heart Recovery Programme at Kauvery Hospital

Chennai, 24th November 2021: Cardiogenic shock is a life-threatening condition where the heart suddenly stops pumping the required oxygen-rich blood to rest of the body. This is an emergency situation that is usually precipitated by a heart attack or acute myocarditis. It is a potentially fatal situation anywhere in the world. If not treated immediately with expert care and technology, the mortality rate is very high. The Impella, which is the world’s smallest heart pump, is capable of maintaining the delivery of oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the brain and other vital organs in the body. It thus helps the heart to recover by giving it the time and opportunity to rest.

Kauvery Hospital Chennai, a unit of Kauvery Group of Hospitals, one of the leading healthcare chains in Tamil Nadu, successfully treated an 18-year-old boy with COVID myocarditis with Impella. With this bold, imaginative and effective intervention hospital has launched the Impella Heart Recovery Programme, for the first time in Tamil Nadu. Through this, the hospital shall have the controller and the pump for Impella in the cath lab itself for the patients who present with sudden and catastrophic heart disease and cardiogenic shock.

Dr. R. Anantharaman, Senior Consultant, Cardiologist says, “An 18-year-old boy presented with cardiac arrest and he was diagnosed with COVID Myocarditis (weakening of heart muscles due to the SARS Cov 2 viral infection) . He was immediately shifted to the cath lab of Kauvery Hospital Chennai where the Impella device was implanted through a catheter. Once the device was in place, the heart was given rest. The life -sustaining blood flow and delivery of oxygen to the other organs was taken care of by the Impella device. By the fifth day his heart had recovered its function!

The availability of the Impella Heart Recovery Programme in – house facilitates the training of our staff to use the device and monitor it effectively and avoids the waiting for arrival of an out-sourced pump team.”

Speaking about the importance of Impella in treatment of Cardiogenic shock, Dr Manoj S , Senior Consultant and Interventional Cardiologist, Kauvery Hospital Chennai said,“In the absence of aggressive and expert care and technology, mortality rate among patients with cardiogenic shock is exceedingly high (up to 70-90%). With immediate care, and support from device therapy, the survival can be improved to more than 60%. In current practice when patients present with Cardiogenic Shock, they are given multiple inotrope medications to maintain blood pressure (which affect the heart adversely), while waiting for outsourced Impella controller and pump to arrive and to also monitor post procedure care (which may take 24 to 48 hours).

Through the Impella Heart Recovery Program, the Impella controller/pump is readily available in our Cath lab. Simultaneously the staff are well -trained , so that there is no delay in implantation and immediate lifesaving therapy is given.”

Speaking about the launch of the programme, Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital Chennai says, “In heart attacks, cardiac arrests or strokes, immediate intervention is the key in saving lives. This programme at our hospital will benefit patients who suffer heart attacks and need immediate and expert care, enabled by the best of technology. We are proud to have this state of the art facility in our Cath Lab to complement our highly skilled team of cardiologists, anesthesiologists , critical care unit and post- intervention care team. I congratulate Dr Anantharaman R , Dr Manoj S and team for successfully treating the young patient with this advanced technology, thus giving him a new lease of life.”