image: Jim Hart (left) with his wife and three children.
Credit: Photo: Jim Hart
DANVERS, Mass., February 20, 2025 – Johnson & Johnson MedTech, the global leader in heart recovery, is proud to celebrate the inaugural National Heart Recovery Awareness Day today, February 20. Recognized through a U.S. Congressional resolution, this designation will help increase awareness of heart health and how innovative medical technology helps patients return home to their families – with their native heart. There are events taking place across the country where patients are sharing their stories, including heart recovery reunions and sessions to educate healthcare providers, which underscore the impact that heart recovery has on patient lives.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths.[1] Heart Recovery Awareness Day demonstrates the potential for patients with complex heart disease and advanced heart failure to recover their native heart and improve their quality of life after a heart event.
“Years ago, heart recovery was just an idea. Today, because of innovations in cardiac care, many patients around the world can not only survive a major heart event but go on to live full, vibrant lives with their native hearts,” said Chuck Simonton, Chief Medical Officer, Heart Recovery, Johnson & Johnson MedTech.
Heart recovery is enabled by inserting Impella, the world’s smallest heart pump, to temporarily take over the heart’s pumping function, allowing the heart to rest and recover while maintaining the flow of oxygenated blood throughout the body. This therapy enables patients to return to their life and families with their native heart and experience an equal - or improved – quality of life.
The platform of Impella heart pumps has been used to treat more than 330,000 patients globally. In 2024, a randomized clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine[2] confirms routine use of Impella CP in patients who have had a heart attack with STEMI cardiogenic shock reduces 180-day mortality by 12.7% compared to the control arm (45.8% vs. 58.5%, p=0.04). The authors also stated that the increased risk of adverse events does not overshadow the benefit of treatment with Impella CP.
Patient Benefits from Heart Recovery and CPR
Jim Hart[3] (pictured, left, with his family) is a father of three, a college professor and pastor from New Jersey who, at the age of 43, began experiencing severe chest pain and collapsed at his home. His two oldest sons began giving Jim cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compressions while his youngest son called 911. Once at the hospital, it was determined that Jim was in cardiogenic shock and his heart was failing. He was taken to the cardiac catheterization lab and an Impella CP heart pump was implanted to allow Jim’s heart to rest before physicians placed stents. After a few days of support, Jim’s heart function improved. The Impella CP heart pump was removed and Jim returned home with his recovered heart.
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 90% of people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die. If CPR is performed immediately, these individuals have double or triple the chance of survival compared to those who do not receive CPR.[4]
“As we learned from Jim’s story of heart recovery, CPR plays a critical role in helping patients survive a cardiac arrest and we look forward to working with the American Heart Association to increase the availability of CPR training tools and resources in Boston and beyond,” added Simonton.
In recognition of the inaugural National Heart Recovery Awareness Day, Johnson & Johnson MedTech is collaborating with the American Heart Association to bring the first hands-only CPR teaching kiosk to Boston. The teaching tool will be in the “Hall of Human Life” at the Museum of Science, Boston, as part of its Being Human spotlight, a yearlong exploration of human connectivity and the ways we can all better the lives we live.
Located in more than 30 cities across the country, the hands-only CPR kiosks teach the two simple steps of hands-only CPR, which can be used in teens and adults who suddenly collapse from cardiac arrest and guides the user on how to effectively deliver CPR until help arrives.
Heart Recovery Awareness Day Across the U.S.
In honor of National Heart Recovery Awareness Day, there are more than 10 heart recovery reunions taking place in February, celebrating more than 50 patients across the country. At these events, Impella patients in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Louisiana and California – among other locations – will be reuniting with members of their care teams and sharing their personal stories of heart recovery. Additionally, many patients will be sharing their stories of heart recovery at community and educational events, including the annual Utah Cardiac Recovery Symposium.
About Cardiovascular Solutions from Johnson & Johnson MedTech
Across Johnson & Johnson, we are tackling the world’s most complex and pervasive health challenges. Through a cardiovascular portfolio that provides healthcare professionals with advanced mapping and navigation, miniaturized tech, and precise ablation we are addressing conditions with significant unmet needs such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, stroke, and atrial fibrillation. We are the global leaders in heart recovery, circular restoration and the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, as well as an emerging leader in neurovascular care, committed to taking on two of the leading causes of death worldwide in heart failure and stroke. For more, visit www.heartrecovery.com and follow us on LinkedIn and @jjmt_heartrecov.
About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more about our MedTech sector’s global scale and deep expertise in cardiovascular, orthopaedics, surgery and vision solutions at https://thenext.jnjmedtech.com. Follow us at @JNJMedTech and on LinkedIn. Abiomed, Inc. is part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech.
Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the Impella Platform. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Abiomed, Inc. and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: uncertainty of regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; challenges to patents; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of healthcare products and services; and trends toward healthcare cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in the sections captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” and in Johnson & Johnson’s subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at sec.gov, jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Neither Abiomed, Inc. nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.
[1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
[2] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2312572
[3] Jim Hart was not compensated for the inclusion of his story in this press release.
[4] https://cpr.heart.org/-/media/cpr-files/courses-and-kits/hands-only-cpr/handsonly-cpr-fact-sheet-ucm_502250.pdf?la=en&hash=3B377AD41A9262042382D3A3D14D1AB5DA1E51A1