Percutaneous left axillary artery approach for Impella 2.5 liter circulatory support for patients with severe aortoiliac arterial disease undergoing high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention.

The use of the Impella 2.5 liter (L) device for hemodynamic support has been well described. The typical access site for the Impella 2.5 L device is the femoral artery. The use of the axillary and subclavian artery has been described via surgical cut down for the Impella 5 L device when femoral artery access is not possible. In patients with severe aortoiliac disease and difficult anatomy the femoral artery access for the Impella 2.5 L device is not feasible. We describe the successful percutaneous use of the Impella 2.5 L device for hemodynamic support via the left axillary artery in 2 patients undergoing high-risk PCI with concomitant severe aortoiliac disease. ©2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.