'Dad's a medical marvel and wouldn't be here today' - World's smallest heart pump saves dad’s life in Yorkshire
The family of the first patient in Yorkshire to successfully receive a new miniature heart pump have thanked cardiologists after the specialised device was used to save their dad’s life.
John Barrass, 78, from Chesterfield, needed an operation to unblock his arteries after a cardiac arrest left his heart’s function critically impaired. But severe calcification in his arteries and a weakened heart meant his odds of survival from intervention were less than 50 per cent.
During the operation at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John was minutes away from another cardiac arrest and his heart stopped pumping properly.
But a new Impella heart pump, one of 15 funded by Sheffield Hospitals Charity, kicked in to take over.
“We didn't know Dad was going to be the first to have one of the new pumps, but his arteries were like calcium so all the doctors reviewing his case agreed that they would use the device should they need to,” Kirsty Lowden, John’s 47-year-old daughter explains. “Without it, he wouldn’t be here now.”
The devices – which sit inside the heart’s left ventricle – work by temporarily taking over the function of the heart to provide it with strong blood pumping pressure. The aim is to ensure sufficient blood flow to the heart muscle and vital organs whilst the heart is being operated on.
Dr Aetesam Rahman, Consultant Cardiologist at Sheffield, who performed the procedure on John with a team of experts including Professor Paul Morris, Dr Arvin Krishnamurthy and Dr Jon Rosser, said it was a “really excellent result”.
“The pump was able to deliver 3.5 litres of blood a minute – which was in addition to what John’s heart was already able to pump, bringing it to near-normal levels during the procedure. This enabled us to successfully perform the procedure safely and in a controlled manner. John had four stents fitted to widen his arteries and is recovering well.
“Most patients undergoing heart procedures, such as coronary angioplasty or stents will not need one of these devices. But for patients like John undergoing high-risk procedures, research shows these pumps increase survival by more than 70 per cent up to six months after surgery. We are enormously grateful to Sheffield Hospitals Charity for enabling us to deliver this life-saving programme to the immediate benefit of patients.”
Reflecting on the experience, Kirsty says: “We’ve been joking that dad is a medical marvel now. Everyone at the Northern General Hospital was just amazing and explained everything to us. We’re really, really grateful: that device saved my dad’s life, no question.”
The 15 pumps are set to benefit around one patient a month including those referred from hospitals in Chesterfield, Doncaster and Barnsley in acute cardiac distress such as patients awaiting a heart transplant, those with multiple illnesses and those undergoing high-risk cardiac procedures.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said recent research also shows that the pump’s cardiac support system plays an important role in the treatment of cardiogenic shock, improving survival, recovery and quality of life whilst also shortening the length of time patients would normally have to spend in cardiac intensive care units.