SOUTHAVEN, Miss., Sept. 16, 2009 – Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto now offers the world’s smallest heart pump for critically ill patients who are experiencing advanced cardiac failure or shock in recovering from a heart attack.

As the smallest heart pump on the market, Impella 2.5 works by temporarily relieving the heart’s pumping function and providing the time needed to initiate life-saving interventions.

“Our team can now perform leading-edge, life-saving cardiovascular procedures in a matter of minutes,” said Michelle Britton, director of cardiovascular services at Baptist DeSoto. “Impella 2.5 is a breakthrough technology that offers our physicians a minimally invasive approach in cardiac treatment and will help change the industry standard of care.”

Based in Danvers, Mass., Abiomed Inc., makes medical devices that provide circulatory support to acute heart failure patients across the continuum of care in heart recovery. The products are designed to enable the heart to rest, heal and recover by improving blood flow and/or doing the work of the heart.

For additional information on Impella 2.5, please visit www.abiomed.com.

Baptist DeSoto is a 339-bed hospital that offers diagnostic, surgical and rehabilitation services. In 2001, the hospital completed an expansion project that nearly doubled its size, expanded its labor and delivery services and added open-heart surgery and radiation therapy. In April 2001, the Baptist DeSoto Outpatient Diagnostic Center and Women’s Center opened, which houses DeSoto County’s first open MRI, mammography services and other diagnostic tools. In November 2006, Baptist DeSoto opened a new, 11-story tower, featuring all-private rooms, expanded operating suites and a new emergency room.

For more information about Baptist DeSoto, please call 662-772-4000 or visit desoto.baptistonline.org.

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