Doctors here have saved the life of a 70-year-old man suffering from severely decreased heart pumping function, and several other comorbidities, with the "world's smallest heart pump".

The patient was admitted to the AIG Hospitals on June 14 with complaints of breathlessness, chest pain and severe weakness. After primary diagnosis with ECG and ECHO, the patient was diagnosed with heart failure and severely decreased heart pumping. The patient was stabilised and an angiogram was done which further revealed that all three main arteries of the heart were severely blocked, including the left main coronary artery. The comorbidity list of the patient included a liver transplant, diabetes, hypertension, anaemia and acute kidney injury. While the patient's kidney issues were managed by the immunosuppressive drug regimen, his cardiac MRI was done which showed all the heart muscles were viable.

However, later it was found out that the risk of mortality in case of coronary bypass surgery was extremely high. Usually, these patients are left with no options, but treatment with a new non-surgical heart pump called IMPELLA, an US-FDA approved device. "The biggest challenge for such high-risk patients undergoing cardiac intervention is maintaining stable pressure and perfusion to the brain, kidneys and other critical organs. Simply put, to keep the blood flow stable while the procedure is being done", said Anuj Kapadia, senior consultant, interventional cardiology, AIG Hospitals. The IMPELLA device, which is known as the "world's smallest heart pump", was inserted into the heart through the groin artery under local anaesthesia and it helped in stabilising the heart function and ensuring blood flow to the critical organs during the procedure.

It replicated the pumping function of the heart, providing a blood flow of 3.5 litres/minute. The overall procedure lasted for three hours, after which the device was safely removed. The patient was shifted to the ICU and was subsequently discharged after two days of hospitalisation, the doctors said.