Dr. Kevin Hall and team at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi recently performed the region’s first Impella RP heart pump implant. 

Baptist, a 217-bed hospital in Oxford, Mississippi, is a regional referral center that offers a variety of services, including cardiovascular surgery and other vital services is widening their range of services dealing with the heart. Just last year, Baptist received echocardiography accreditation. 

This month Baptist became the first to introduce an important health implant that could change many lives in the region.

The Impella RP heart pump is the only heart pump approved by the Food and Drug Administration to provide temporary circulatory support for patients experiencing right heart failure or decompensation after heart attack, heart transplant, open-heart surgery and in combination with a left ventricular assist device. 

The Impella RP can also be used in patients who experience right heart failure as a result of COVID-19 complications. According to health experts, heart failure after COVID-19 is rare but recovered patients should be aware of any changes regarding breathing, chest pains or heart palpitations.

“The need for right-sided heart support is rare but for some patients, it can make the difference between life and death,” said Dr. Kevin Hall, an interventional cardiologist with Stern Cardiovascular. “I am grateful that we can offer the most advanced treatment options for heart failure patients at Baptist North Mississippi.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease, including  heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death in Mississippi. Over a third of all deaths in Mississippi are attributed to the disease and the state’s CVD mortality rate remains the highest in the United States.

Patients experiencing right heart failure present with leg and ankle swelling due to pressure in the veins from blood not pumping to the lungs. Baptist North Mississippi offers a full range of cardiac diagnostic services to identify and treat heart disease, such as this, from heart surgery to cardiac rehab. 

In November 2017, the hospital moved into a five-story, 600,000-square-foot-facility that offers expanded services, including a larger emergency department, advanced technology and larger rooms for patients and their families. Since the hospital became affiliated with Baptist in 1989, Baptist has invested almost $700 million into the community. 

For more information, please call 662-636-1000 or visit northmiss.baptistonline.org.