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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Muralist paints colorful entrance to Ashland's Calle Guanajuato ... Toxicology tests shed no light on distance runner Todd Ragsdale's death ... SNYP president fights pet overpopulation ... Muralist paints colorful entrance to Ashland's Calle Guanajuato ... Toxicology tests shed no light on distance runner Todd Ragsdale's death ... SNYP president fights pet overpopulation ... Smallest heart pump is biggest help Yreka patient is first to benefit from RVMC pencil-size pump Kenneth Harrison didn't care about the size of the pump Rogue Valley Medical Center doctors used to keep his blood flowing following his heart attack last month. Comment By chris conrad MailTribune.com By chris conrad Posted Apr. 12, 2012 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 12, 2012 at 2:05 AM By chris conrad Posted Apr. 12, 2012 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 12, 2012 at 2:05 AM » Social News Kenneth Harrison didn't care about the size of the pump Rogue Valley Medical Center doctors used to keep his blood flowing following his heart attack last month. The 55-year-old Yreka, Calif., resident just wanted to live so he could enjoy more days at the park with his grandchildren. But Harrison did say it was "a trip" that he was the hospital's first patient to benefit from the world's smallest heart pump. Dr. Kent Dauterman, a physician with Southern Oregon Cardiology, performed the maiden procedure using the Abiomed Impella 2.5 heart pump to keep Harrison's blood pressure up while Dauterman repaired a blockage in a major artery near Harrison's heart. "Normally, in this case we would have to perform a major surgery," Dauterman said. "But the pump allowed us to do a less invasive procedure that fixed him." Harrison was working in his yard when his heart malfunctioned. "All I remember was that I was in the yard, then on the ground, then in the house and then in an ambulance," Harrison said. A scan of his chest revealed a large blockage in his left main coronary artery. "The left main coronary artery supplies about 70 percent of the heart with blood," Dauterman said. "This artery is the fuel line of the heart." Usually, this situation calls for bypass surgery, but Harrison was not a suitable candidate because he has a liver ailment that would make open-heart surgery a risky maneuver. The other option left to surgeons was placing a stent inside the artery to open blood flow to the heart. This was a high-risk approach because the temporary blockage of the artery could cause Harrison's blood pressure to nosedive during the procedure. "There was a good chance he would not survive the procedure," Dauterman said. The final option was to do nothing and let Harrison's heart recover through therapy. "Doing nothing in his case would carry a one-year mortality rate of 50 percent," Dauterman said. Dauterman then considered using the heart pump for the first time as part of the high-risk stent procedure. The pump had just become available, and the research showed a good outcome with a 2 percent mortality risk. The pump, which is about the size of a pencil, was inserted into Harrison's femoral artery in his leg. The pump basically acted as a small engine to power Harrison's heart during the stent procedure. The pump kept Harrison's blood pressure from dropping, allowing surgeons to open the blocked artery and keep Harrison's heart from sustaining more damage. The device can pump 2.5 liters of blood per minute out of the heart and into the aorta, Dauterman said. "It gave his heart the help that it needed," Dauterman said. "It makes the heart's job easier." The surgery was a success and Harrison was released the following day, Dauterman said. Harrison suffered only minor damage to his heart and should make a full recovery in the coming weeks. Now the heavy-lifting is placed on Harrison, who must overhaul his lifestyle to ensure his arteries stay clear of plaque that can cause these potential fatal blockages. That means less red meat and salt and no cigarettes, which Harrison said he is about to give up. "I'm close, man," he said. "But it is going to be hard not to eat the good stuff. I get one steak per month now." Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 541-776-4471 or email [email protected]. By chris conrad MailTribune.com By chris conrad Posted Apr. 12, 2012 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 12, 2012 at 2:05 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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