ST. LOUIS – SSM Health DePaul Hospital is participating in the PROTECT IV Trial which is a study to assess if using the Impella® CP (or Impella® 2.5) device will result in an improvement in symptoms, heart function, and health for the patient after a heart procedure. PROTECT IV was designed by the leaders and best clinical trialists in the field of cardiovascular medicine.

“Protect IV is a groundbreaking trial because it will help us advance not only the evidence of care but the highest standards of best practice standards for individuals with severe heart disease and advanced heart failure,” Dr. Elie Azrak, a cardiologist and chair of the heart and vascular team at SSM Health DePaul Hospital, said.

Azrak stresses the importance of comprehensive care.

“Stroke and heart attack are complex disease entities which require intensive systems of care. And systems of care are all of the resource allocations necessary, both in human capital and processes, to deliver the best possible outcomes,” he said. “So, being a Protect IV enrollment site is probably the highest honor, because it allows us to provide those best possible standards of care.”

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