Hackensack University Medical Center Cardiac Surgeons Become First in World to Implant FDAApproved Impella RP Flex Heart Pump in Human Patient

The Impella RP Flex is implanted using a minimally invasive catheter-based approach to treat right heart failure.

Hackensack University Medical Center cardiac surgeons Mark Anderson, M.D., chairman of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, and Yuriy Dudiy, M.D., became the first surgeons in the world to implant the recently FDA-approved Impella RP® Flex with SmartAssist® in a human patient, November 8, 2022. This first-in-human heart pump implantation was performed to treat right heart failure during a minimally invasive valve replacement procedure. The patient, a 71 year old woman, is doing well and is expected to be released from the hospital soon. 

About the Impella RP Flex

Impella RP Flex received FDA pre-market approval as being safe and effective to treat acute right heart failure for up to 14 days. It is implanted via the internal jugular vein, which enables patient mobility, and has dual-sensor technology that helps optimize pump management. Impella RP Flex is placed in the heart using a catheter inserted through a small incision in the patient’s neck and pumps blood from the superior vena cava to the pulmonary artery. 

Impella RP Flex is used to treat right heart failure or decompensation following left ventricular assist device implantation, myocardial infarction, heart transplant, or open-heart surgery.