First Implant of Abiomed’s Impella BTR Minimally Invasive Heart Pump

Abiomed has achieved the first patient implantation of the Impella Bridge-to-Recovery (BTR) as part of the heart pump’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) early feasibility study (EFS).
 
Impella BTR is a forward flow heart pump implanted via the axillary artery and sits in the left ventricle and can pump over six liters of blood per minute. Its design allows for heart recovery and remodeling with adjunctive therapies for class III/IV heart failure patients.
 
The vision for Impella BTR is for patients to have home discharge and over a year of full hemodynamic support.
 
“Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine is pleased to be the first in the world to implant Impella BTR as part of this important study,” Dr. Wilcox, wchief of heart failure treatment and recovery at Northwestern Medicine told the press. “This novel technology could change the way we care for chronic heart failure patients by providing less invasive longer-term hemodynamic support with the goal of ultimately improving heart function in very sick patients.”
 
The study aims to evaluate Impella BTR’s safety for left ventricular hemodynamic support and feasibility of supporting patients to recovery or their next therapy. The initial study will enroll 10 patients who will receive Impella BTR support for up to 28 days in the hospital. Once hemodynamic support is no longer needed, the technology will be weaned and removed, and participants will be followed for 90 days.