Affinity Health System is the first in the Fox Valley to offer a minimally invasive critical care procedure called the Impella heart pump. This tiny device, about the width of a straw, is inserted into weak hearts to keep them functioning while cardiologists open clogged arteries. The Impella heart pump allows the sickest patients to receive life-saving inventions that would otherwise be too risky.
The Impella heart pump is inserted similarly to a cardiac catheter, through an incision in the groin. Cardiologists guide the pump through an artery, into the heart’s left ventricle, where the device can keep a patient’s blood pumping while doctors perform repairs such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement.
The pump is used in scheduled procedures as well as in emergency situations. It can be inserted within five minutes or less.
The Impella heart pump benefits patients whose hearts are too weak to survive interventions without blood-pumping assistance. It gives the sickest patients options they didn’t have before—to open arteries, and improve blood pressure and heart rhythm.
If you wish to meet with an Affinity cardiologist or discuss surgical options with our cardiovascular surgeons, speak with your primary care physician or call our office at:
St. Elizabeth Hospital Heart, Lung & Vascular Center, Appleton 1-800-261-0088
Affinity Heart & Lung Center, Oshkosh 1-800-231-9031
1506 S. Oneida St Appleton, WI 54915 (920) 738-2000