Thursday, November 17, 2011
San Juan Regional Medical Center Launches Impella
(Thursday, Nov. 17) Farmington, NM—San Juan Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) is the first hospital in the Four Corners region to launch the Impella, the world’s smallest heart pump, as a life-saving technology to cardiac patients.
“We have sent patients as far as Denver to receive this technology in the past, but patients in crises would not survive the trip,” says Barbara Galvich, manager of cardiac patient care services. “SJRMC is very progressive when it comes to the state-of-the-art cardiac care, and this is a great example.”
The Impella is a device that is placed in the heart to allow the heart to rest and recover after a significant cardiac event or during a complex ballooning or stenting procedure. As the device pumps blood out of the left ventricle to the rest of the body at 2.5 liters per minute, the “rest” improves the heart’s ability to pump and results in improved cardiac recovery.
The launch has been in the works since early 2011 and is a joint effort between the hospital, San Juan Health Partners Cardiology, AirCare, ICU, Cardiology Unit, and the Cardiac Cath Lab.