Intra-aortic Balloon Pump—Current Status

Abstract

Cardiac failure is an ever-growing public health concern confronted by both developed and developing nations of the world. Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is a circulatory assist device that is used to support a failing left ventricle. IABP is designed to augment myocardial perfusion by increasing coronary blood flow during diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle and unloading the left ventricle during systolic phase. Intraoperative IABP is extremely useful when facing difficulty to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass. Until the controversy is resolved, personal experience and decision of the physician and patient circumstances may form the basis for the IABP use in a clinical setting with acute left ventricular failure.