On September 19–20, the Interventional Radiology and Cardiology division, in cooperation with Prof. MUDr. Jan Bělohlávek, PhD., Head of the 2nd Department of Internal Medicine – Cardiology and Angiology Clinic at the General University Hospital in Prague, and Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Viktor Kočka, PhD., Deputy Head of the University Hospital Královské Vinohrady, who both served as scientific guarantors of the event, organized the Impella School educational course at the Hermitage Hotel in Prague.
The course was designed for cardiac centers where the Impella heart pump program has recently started or is about to be launched. Promedica is the exclusive distributor of Impella in the Czech and Slovak markets. The event brought together 25 invited cardiologists, intensivists, and cardiac surgeons from leading hospitals across the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Structured as a two-day program, the course introduced participants to the fundamentals of Impella heart pumps, their use for short-term circulatory support during cardiac interventions, and extended applications in severe cardiogenic shock, lasting weeks if needed.
Participants learned not only how to implant Impella devices but also how to manage patients on long-term mechanical support. A highlight of the training was the discussion on combining Impella with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for cases of cardiac arrest.
The faculty included leading Czech interventional cardiologists: Prof. Bělohlávek, Assoc. Prof. Kočka, Prof. Kovárník (General University Hospital, Prague), Prof. Kala (University Hospital Brno), and MUDr. Novotný (Pardubice). Intensivists were represented by MUDr. Rob and MUDr. Pudil (General University Hospital, Prague), Chief Physician Šramko (IKEM), and MUDr. Ondruš (Brno). From the field of cardiac surgery, Prof. Netuka, Head of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at IKEM, shared his expertise. The international perspective was provided by Prof. Jerzy Sacha, Head of Interventional Cardiology at the University Hospital in Opole, Poland, who presented alternative techniques and rescue procedures. Echocardiographic insights were contributed by MUDr. Večeřová (General University Hospital, Prague).
Hands-on workshops formed a key part of the program, allowing physicians to simulate device setup and implantation, troubleshoot alarm situations, explore various hemodynamic scenarios, and practice vascular closure techniques for large-bore access sites required for Impella insertion.
The event was organized in collaboration with the device manufacturer J&J MedTech, with the support of Galén Symposion, and above all, thanks to the dedication of our Marketing Department, to whom we extend our sincere gratitude.
Feedback from both faculty and participants of Impella School was overwhelmingly positive, and we have received strong encouragement to repeat the course in this format in the future.
Interventional Radiology and Cardiology Division
Watch the event video