Abiomed Introduces Third-Generation Impella CP Heart Pump

May 10, 2017—Abiomed, Inc. announced the introduction of the third-generation Impella CP heart pump at SCAI 2017, the annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular and Angiography Interventions in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Impella CP devices are now available in the United States.

The technology offers new features for optimal care during a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in high-risk patients ("protected PCI") and for patients being treated with Impella in the intensive care unit. Like all Impella heart pumps for the left side, the CP devices are designed for optimal positioning in the left ventricle and feature a flexible catheter, radiopaque marker, cannula shape, and pigtail.

The third-generation Impella CP is a member of Abiomed's Impella family of heart pumps, which are able to unload the heart and enable native heart recovery, potentially allowing patients to return home with their own hearts. The Impella platform of percutaneous ventricular assist devices (pVADs) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and indicated as safe and effective for PCI in high-risk patients and patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.

According to Abiomed, there are several new features of the Impella CP that simplify patient management. The heart pump enables higher flow to maximize unloading of the heart in the catheterization lab. Clinicians could see peak flows > 4 L/min for patients whose hearts need additional pumping support. The new guidewire reaccess sheath allows clinicians to reaccess the femoral artery, which enables the clinician to rapidly escalate care if needed. Additionally, the insertion kit contains the company's new 25-cm introducer sheath to facilitate the insertion of the device in challenging or tortuous femoral vessels, thus increasing the number of patients who could benefit from percutaneous hemodynamic support. This long introducer sheath can be removed after pVAD insertion with a simple peel-away technique.