Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford is pleased to announce they will now be housing the Impella Cardiac Power (CP), the world’s smallest heart pump, at their hospital. Previously, all patients that needed more advanced cardiac care were transported to Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West. With the addition of this technology, our physicians can now perform procedures on more complex and high-risk patients.

The Impella CP is a minimally invasive, non-surgical heart pump, proven safe and effective to assist the pumping function of the patients’ heart during high-risk cardiac procedures. This ensures blood flow is maintained to critical organs while the heart blockage is being fixed. The device is essentially a catheter inserted through the groin artery. It has a motor that supports the heart while it's very weak, experiencing a massive heart attack, or while physicians are trying to intervene on a vessel of the heart. This device has been known to significantly improve survival rate and heart recovery for patients. 

Dr. Hady Lichaa, interventional cardiologist at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, and the cath lab team, participated in this milestone by employing this technique on January 5th at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford. He treated a patient who suffered from a large and life threatening heart attack. The successful procedure took approximately 2.5 hours. Additional wellness checkups and cardiac rehab at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford with the patient will follow. The patient, a Rutherford County resident, has returned home and is recovering well.

“This is a huge achievement for our Rutherford hospital,” said Dr. Lichaa. “We see a lot of patients suffering from heart attacks, and from an ICU standpoint, we can now offer this complex level of care. I am thrilled that we have invested in this technology, continuing to elevate our cardiovascular program.”