A 70-year-old woman got a new lease of life after the world's smallest pump -- 'Impella' -- was used to support her heart pumping mechanism while removing her heart veins blockage at a hospital in Punjab.

Rohit Mody, Director and Head of Department (cardiology), Max Super Speciality Hospital in Bathinda, said the patient came to the emergency ward with cardiogenic shock.

Impella is a miniature heart pump which is used to support the heart's function during critical procedures when the biological heart function is low and multiple stenting is required.

Mody said the patient heart function (LVEF) was just 10-15 per cent and her angiography revealed left main disease (LM) with triple vessel disease (TVD).

In such cases, coronary artery bypass graft surgery or multi-vessel angioplasty with mechanical circulatory support is the effective therapy as an alternative to surgical revascularisation in selected patients with triple-vessel coronary artery disease.

"We decided to perform a procedure with the help of Impella, a mechanical circulatory support device," he said.

Impella is a niche but very effective device for patients with poor heart function. Its support also helps maintain hemodynamic stability and provides left ventricular unloading during the procedure, reducing long-term incidences of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, said Mody.

The procedure done through the femoral artery restored the functioning of all vital organs. The patient was discharged after one week in a stable condition and she has now recovered fully and is leading a normal life, the doctor said.

(SJ/IANS)