A miniature heart pump has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to “help certain patients maintain stable heart function and circulation during certain high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (HRPCI) procedures,” the agency has announced.
The Impella 2.5 System, manufactured by Abiomed, is “intended for temporary use by patients with severe symptomatic CAD [coronary artery disease] and diminished (but stable) heart function who are undergoing HRPCI but are not candidates for surgical coronary bypass treatment,” according to the FDA’s statement.
Courtesy Abiomed
The miniature heart pump is designed for use during certain high-risk HRPCI procedures.
“Use of the Impella 2.5 System is intended to prevent episodes of unstable heart function, including unstable blood pressure and poor circulation, in patients who are at high risk for its occurrence,” Dr. William Maisel, acting director of the Office of Device Evaluation in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in the statement.
Approval was based on the PROTECT II study and observational data from the USpella Registry.
“The overall data provided evidence that, for patients with severe CAD and diminished heart function, the temporary circulatory support provided by the Impella 2.5 System during an HRPCI procedure may allow a longer and more thorough procedure by preventing episodes of hemodynamic instability ... due to temporary abnormalities in heart function,” the FDA statement said. In addition, “fewer later adverse events” such as the need for repeat HRPCI procedures, “may occur in patients undergoing HRPCI with the pump compared to patients undergoing HRPCI with an intra-aortic balloon pump,” according to the FDA.
The FDA statement also noted that the system can be used as an alternative to the intra-aortic balloon pump “without significantly increasing the safety risks of the HRPCI procedure.”
As a postmarketing requirement, the manufacturer will conduct a single arm study of the device in high-risk PCI patients, according to the company’s statement announcing approval.
The wording of the approved indication is as follows, according to Abiomed: “The Impella 2.5 is a temporary (less than or equal to 6 hours) ventricular support device indicated for use during high-risk PCI performed in elective or urgent hemodynamically stable patients with severe coronary artery disease and depressed left ventricular ejection fraction, when a heart team, including a cardiac surgeon, has determined high-risk PCI is the appropriate therapeutic option. Use of the Impella 2.5 in these patients may prevent hemodynamic instability that may occur during planned temporary coronary occlusions and may reduce peri- and postprocedural adverse events.”