Henrico Doctors’ Hospital Inserts First Impella® Cardiac Assist Device in Central Virginia

Richmond, VA, February 2, 2009 – On January 28, 2009, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital completed Richmond’s first procedure in Central Virginia with Abiomed’s Impella 2.5 heart pump. Now, cardiologists at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital can add the world’s smallest heart pump to their portfolio of treatment options to assist critically ill patients that are experiencing advanced cardiac failure or shock in recovering from heart attack or other illness.

As the smallest heart pump on the market, the Impella device works by temporarily relieving the heart’s pumping function and providing the time needed to initiate life-saving interventions.

“Henrico Doctors’ Hospital’s commitment to excellence in patient care is once again demonstrated by being the first to introduce this new technology to the Richmond community,” said VCS Cardiologist Michael Erwin, M.D., who performed this procedure. “Impella 2.5 greatly improves the safety of high risk procedures for our critical patients.”

Impella 2.5 is inserted percutaneously in the catheterization laboratory (cath lab) via the femoral artery into the left ventricle, a procedure that takes just a few minutes. Up to 2.5 liters of blood are delivered by the pump from the left ventricle into the ascending aorta, providing the heart with active support five times faster than current industry devices and three to five times more blood flow than the present standard of care.

About Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, with campuses at 1602 Skipwith Road (Forest Campus), 7700 E. Parham Road (Parham Campus), and 2621 Grove Avenue (Retreat Hospital), is a 767-bed acute-care hospital offering state-of-the-art medical technology in a community hospital setting. Part of the HCA Virginia Health System, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital was named one of HealthGrades “America’s 50 Best Hospitals” in 2007 and 2008. The Cancer Center at HDH is accredited by the American College of Surgeons with ten commendations. HDH is a national leader in kidney transplants and robotic surgery.  In addition, Henrico Doctors’ recently opened The Orthopaedic Hospital, a new state-of-the-art facility on its Parham Campus. For more information on Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, visit us at www.hcarichmond.com and click on Henrico Doctors’ Hospital.