Florida Hospital DeLand’s New Technology Protects the Heart During an Attack

DELAND, Fla. - Jan. 20, 2014 - PRLog -- Florida Hospital DeLand has expanded the tools in its arsenal for fighting cardiac disease. The hospital recently purchased the Impella 2.5 and CP 4.0 Cardiac Assist Device for heart attack patients.

For patients who experience a heart attack, Impella protects the heart from further damage and enables the left ventricle to heal and gain optimal function. It is the world’s smallest heart pump, smaller than the width of a pencil.

During a heart attack, some patients have difficulty maintaining their blood pressure, which means the heart cannot pump blood to the body’s vital organs. The Impella is a left ventricular assistance device that works by sending blood from the left ventricle to the ascending aorta, delivering anywhere from 2.5 to 4 liters of blood per minute and allowing the blood to pump through the body properly.

Without surgery, it is inserted in the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab via through a small hole in the leg, up through the aorta into the left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber of the heart. Here, it is placed for one to six days as it, depending on how long it takes to stabilize the patient.

“This is $75,000 investment in the community’s cardiac care,” said Marlene Thomas, Florida Hospital DeLand Director of Cardiopulmonary and Cardiovascular Services. “The Impella technology has increasingly gained the favor of many cardiologist over the balloon pump, which has been the standard technology for years.”

This advancement comes on the heels of several other enhancements to Florida Hospital DeLand’s cardiac services. This year, the hospital upgraded one of its cardiac catheterization labs and has plans to replace the second and add a third in 2014. Last year, the hospital added a treatment called Therapeutic-Induced Hypothermia to protect the brain and other organs during a cardiac arrest. In 2011, Florida Hospital DeLand began performing percutaneous coronary interventions, such as stents and angioplasty, to restore blood flow of a blocked vessel that brings vital blood and oxygen to the heart muscle.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to enhance our technology and treatments,” Thomas said. “In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds. Each minute, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event. We think that number is far too high and hope that with our advancements in cardiac care, we’ll be able to help our neighbors facing heart disease.”

About Florida Hospital DeLand
Florida Hospital DeLand is a 156-bed full-service hospital providing inpatient and outpatient services in addition to 24-hour emergency and critical care. The hospital is a member of the Adventist Health System, the largest Protestant not-for-profit hospital system in the nation and works to provide exceptional, patient-focused care to the DeLand community. Florida Hospital DeLand is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and Disease-Specific Care Certified by the Joint Commission in Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement Surgery. Additionally, the hospital is Chest Pain Accredited with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) and is also a Certified Stroke Center. For more information about Florida Hospital DeLand, visit  http://fh.floridahospital.com/deland.

Photo Caption:
Florida Hospital DeLand has a new tool when fighting cardiac disease: the Impella 2.5 and CP 4.0 Cardiac Assist Device.  It is the world’s smallest heart pump, smaller than the width of a pencil, and for patients who are experiencing a heart attack, it protects the heart from further damage and enables the left ventricle to heal and gain optimal function.