Impella® Heart Pump Helps Give New Mexico Guardsman a Second Chance at Life

Jay Sanchez, 52, an officer in the National Guard, became severely ill and drove himself to the emergency department at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As soon as Jay arrived, he suffered a massive heart attack presenting as cardiac arrest. Physicians quickly started CPR and shocked Jay four times. Jay was in cardiogenic shock.

He was rushed to the cath lab where an intra-aortic balloon pump was placed along with multiple stents, but his heart was still failing and he was going into organ failure. Jay was returned to the cath lab where Dr. Mark Zolnick and Dr. Timothy Vellinga implanted the Impella 2.5® heart pump to provide hemodynamic support. Jay’s heart began to recover and the Impella was removed. Jay has since returned to work, serving his country, and is now back to his favorite job of being a dad.