46-Year-Old Father Enjoying Time With His Family Thanks to Impella Heart Pump

Karunakar Reddy’s wife, Madhavi, lovingly calls her husband “a workaholic,” saying he does whatever he needs to do to support their family. 

In October of 2023, Karunakar woke up having chest pains and difficulty breathing. At his wife’s insistence, he visited the emergency room at Medicover Hospital in Hyderabad, India. 

Dr. A. Sharath Reddy quickly performed an angiogram, which showed blockages in two main blood vessels to Karunakar Reddy’s heart. Before trying to clear the blockages, Dr. Reddy placed Impella CP® with SmartAssist® to support Karunakar’s heart during the procedure. 

After clearing the first blockage in the right coronary artery, the artery closed up again, and Karunakar’s blood pressure was maintained solely by the Impella. Dr. Reddy was able to continue with procedure, clearing all the blockages to Karunakar’s heart. The device was removed several hours later.

Karunakar has made a full recovery, going for his morning walks, working in his garden and enjoying time with his family. In his wife’s words, “Impella has saved her husband’s life and my life also.” 

As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary. There are potential risks, these risks need to be discussed with your doctor and recovery takes time. The success of this procedure depends on many factors, including your physical condition and your body’s ability to tolerate the procedure.

To learn more about the Impella platform of heart pumps, including important risk and safety information associated with the use of the devices, please visit https://www.abiomed.com/important-safety-information