Abiomed Heart Pump Gets FDA Approval, Shares Jump

Heart pump maker, Abiomed, indicated that the FDA has approved the sale of its heart pump, Impella 2.5, driving its shares up about 24 percent to their highest in more than six years. The Impella 2.5, also the world’s smallest heart pump, is approved in the United States for partial circulatory support in critical patients for up to six hours and now

The Impella 2.5 is inserted percutaneously in the cath lab through the femoral artery into the left ventricle. Up to 2.5 liters of blood per minute are delivered by the pump from the left ventricle into the ascending aorta.

The Impella costs $20,000 per disposable unit, and is reimbursed by Medicare, no sales forecasts were given.

The biomedical engineer in me has a soft spot for medical devices. Mechanically intervening to fix aberrant physiology is just such an interesting premise. If want to learn more about the device, there is a cool little video here.