Video: Small heart pump an alternative to bypass surgery

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Patients who are told they are too high-risk for bypass surgery or even angioplasty now have another option, and it doesn't involve surgery.

Dana Hale thought it was a just breathing problem, until he got the diagnosis: emphysema, blocked arteries and small-cell lung cancer.

"You have all that stuff all at once," said Hale. "It's pretty hard. It's pretty hard."

First he needed bypass surgery to be able to withstand the chemo. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option because it requires a heart-lung machine.

"It was just untenable for that particular patient because you risk spreading or advancing their cancer more," said Dr. Dennis Nichols, Tacoma General Hospital.

Instead, Hale was asked if he wanted to become the first patient in the Northwest to undergo a less invasive procedure using the world's smallest heart pump.

"I had no choice," said Hale. "If I hadn't have done it, they gave me probably two months."

The small heart pump is called the impella and is threaded up an artery in the groin. When it reaches the heart, a tiny propeller deploys to keep the heart beating while surgeons unblock the patient's arteries.

"The heart's still going to work, but it doesn't have to work as hard so it gets a little bit of a vacation while we do this work," said Dr. Toby Lee, Tacoma General Hospital.

That means less risk of cardiac arrest so surgeons can be more aggressive. With no recovery time, Hale was able to start on chemo right away.

"On my good days, I'm really in a good mood, but the other days I'm kind of cranky," said Hale.

But Hale says it's all worth it. The impella has bought him precious time to spend with his grandchildren.

"I want to watch her graduate. That's what I want," said Hale.

The impella device just received FDA clearance this year. It's being used at Tacoma General Hospital and soon will be available at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.