Innovative Treatment Devices
Learn more about two innovative devices available at Palmdale Regional Medical Center:
Subcutaneous Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator
The new Subcutaneous Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator (S-ICD), like its predecessors, uses an electrode to analyze heart rhythm and deliver an electric impulse to stabilize it. The difference is the S-ICD does so without involving the heart or vasculature, but instead delivers the impulse through a wire implanted along the chest wall.
“There is less hardware going into the heart and blood vessels,” says Interventional Cardiologist Kanwaljit Gill, MD. “If an infection occurs, it can be managed more easily.” Dr. Gill adds that the S-ICD is not for patients who need a heart pacing function or those who require biventricular ICDs. “For the right patient, the S-ICD can mean a quicker recovery and less chance of immediate complications such as dislodgement.”
Impella® Pump
When a doctor places a stent in a high-risk patient, the heart may not be able to keep enough blood flowing to function. That’s where the Impella® pump comes in. The pump, which is inserted into an artery through the groin using a minimally invasive procedure, can pump 2.5 liters of blood per minute, keeping it flowing throughout the body.
“By easing the load on the heart, there’s a better chance a procedure such as angioplasty in a high-risk patient can be done safely,” says Cardiologist Ranjiv Choudhary, MD. “We use the pump for planned surgeries as well as in emergencies when the patient is in cardiogenic shock.”