What is Protected PCI?

For some patients, their doctors may determine their heart disease is too severe for stenting and too high-risk for surgery.

For these patients, protected percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or protected stenting, may be an option. During a Protected PCI procedure, Impella® heart pumps temporarily assist the pumping function of the heart during stent placement to ensure blood flow is maintained to critical organs. A Protected PCI is a nonsurgical, minimally invasive procedure performed in a catheterization lab (cath lab) by an interventional cardiologist.

The Impella heart pump is inserted through a small incision and advanced through the arteries into the heart. The Impella heart pump pulls blood from the left ventricle and releases it into the aorta, providing pumping support. This active ‘unloading’ of the left ventricle increases blood flow to vital organs. When support is no longer needed, your cardiologist will remove the Impella heart pump before you leave the hospital.