Maui Memorial Medical Center’s mini heart pump keeps hope afloat
Maui, like other Hawaiian Islands, is often referred to as “paradise.” But being an isolated travel destination can be a double-edged sword when it comes to health care delivery. There are finite medical resources on an island, and patients must travel further than the typical U.S. resident if they need to leave the state for treatment in the continental U.S.
But Maui Memorial Medical Center, the island’s only acute-care hospital, has a secret weapon when it comes to providing critical care — the world’s smallest temporary heart pump. This device, called the Impella, has saved the lives of more than a dozen people after being launched at the hospital in August 2024.
One of those grateful patients is Maui surfer Morgan Dupont, who found himself fighting to stay alive after a seemingly minor dog bite developed into life-threatening fulminant myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart most likely brought on by a viral infection. After the Impella was installed, Dupont was flown to the Keck Center of the University of Southern California for further treatment. The tiny device kept his heart pumping until Keck Center doctors were able to provide care. Days later, Dupont woke from his coma, eventually making a full recovery and returning to surfing.