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A patient has received life-saving care thanks to a revolutionary treatment used by the Cardiology team at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP).

A patient who has been waiting for a coronary angioplasty, a procedure that uses a balloon to open a narrowed heart artery, to allow for a stent to be fitted in their heart, has been able to have this treatment closer to home thanks to the dedication of the Cardiology team at UHP.

Due to the high-risk nature of the procedure, it was necessary to use an artificial heart pump, called an Impella, to ensure their heart was supported throughout the minimally invasive complex and high risk angioplasty and stent procedure. The whole of the procedure was done with the patient fully awake and they went on to make a quick and safe recovery.

While this technology was already available in the UK, patients from the south west previously had to travel many miles out of the region in order to be able to benefit from it, with many not being well enough to attempt the journey. This was until the team at UHP have been able to offer Impella assisted coronary angioplasty and stent procedure here in Plymouth.

Impella pumps are the world’s smallert artificial heart pumps and they are used to treat patients who have had heart attacks and have suffered cardiogenic shock, or are in need of high-risk angioplasties to allow stents to be fitted. The pump enables the heart to rest and recover by temporarily assisting the pumping function of the heart to efficiently deliver blood and oxygen to the entire body during these life-saving surgeries.

Speaking about their treatment, the patient said: “The proceedure was painless and like a walk in the park. It’s amazing what the technology can do. I had great faith in Dr Viswanathan as he has been working to get this proceedure for 4 years and his ambition has brought this proceedure to Plymouth.

“I was well looked after in the hospital and everyone was fantastically friendly and helpful,  you can’t fault it.”  

The care team who performed the procedure was made up of Consultant Interventional Cardiologists, ICU consultants, Cardiac and Vascular sugeons, nurses from the Cardiology department and AHP from cathlabs at UHP with support from Professor Vas Panoulous, one of the countiries most experienced Impella-specialist Consultant Cardiologist’s, who is based at Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, London.

Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Dr Girish Viswanathan, who specialises in coronary intervention in South West Cardiothoracic Centre, said that the procedure was a success for both the patient and the team involved. Discussing the impact of the treament, he said: “We are so glad that we are now able to offer this treatment at UHP.

“We know that this will be reassuring for patients who would otherwise have to travel long distances or could be too unwell to undertake the journeys. We hope that in the future this technology will benefit people in and around Plymouth and the wider Peninsula region.”

It has taken four years of behind-the-scenes work to bring this technological advancement to Plymouth but it is hoped that by providing this treatment option at UHP, it will help to improve the quality of life for these patients living in Plymouth and beyond in the south west.  

For more information on the services provided by the Cardiology team at UHP, visit https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/cardiology.