Use of the Impella 2.5 Microaxial pump for right ventricular support after insertion of Heartmate II left ventricular assist device.

The Impella microaxial pump is a catheter-based device that has been used for left ventricular support. The catheter can be inserted through a peripheral artery or directly into the ascending aorta. The pump is positioned across the aortic valve with the inflow directly in the left ventricle and the outflow in the ascending aorta. We describe the use of the Impella as a right ventricular support device during the placement of a Heartmate II left ventricular assist device. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of the use of the Impella in this manner.