Understanding the Placement Screen for the Impella CP® with SmartAssist® 

Jason Richard, an advanced Impella® trainer, walks through each element displayed on the Automated Impella Controller™ (AIC) placement screen for an Impella CP with SmartAssist. The placement screen is the most commonly used treatment option screen on the AIC. “Everything you need to know about the function of Impella,” Jason notes, “as well as the response of your patient, can be found here on the AIC placement screen.”

Jason emphasizes that being able to identify the key features on the AIC will help you better understand and diagnose a condition when supporting an Impella patient. Of notable importance is the ability to identify the type of Impella device being used to support the patient. This information is located in small white type along the top left of the screen.

It is also important to recognize and address any alarms that may be displayed on the top of the AIC placement screen. Alarms include red critical alarms, yellow serious alarms, and white advisory alarms. Alarms that appear in gray have been resolved.

The most prominent features displayed on the placement screen are the waveforms. There are 2 placement signal waveforms: a red aortic waveform and a white left ventricular (LV) placement waveform. These waveforms are pulsatile when the Impella is properly positioned. Current values for these waveforms appear in a window adjacent to the waveforms. The green motor current waveform is displayed below the placement signal waveforms. It too is pulsatile when Impella is properly positioned.

Ensuring that the mean Impella flow matches expected Impella flow ranges is another key component to patient management. Impella flow values—Max flow over Min flow, as well as Mean flow—are displayed in liters per minute (L/min) on the bottom left of the screen. Next to these values you’ll find values for purge flow and purge pressure as well as new calculated values for cardiac output (CO) and cardiac power output (CPO).

Soft keys appear along the right edge of the screen.

• Mute Alarm allows you to silence any alarm currently active on the console
• Flow Control adjusts the performance level (P-level) of the Impella pump
• Display allows you to switch between the placement screen and other Impella screens
• Purge Menu provides access to information about the purge system
• Menu is primarily used to assess alarm histories

For more information about the AIC placement screen for Impella CP with SmartAssist, contact your local Impella clinical team or the Clinical Support Center at 1-800-422-8666.