Intraoperative intra-aortic balloon pump insertion: step by step

A 76-year-old patient with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction was admitted to our hospital. Coronary angiography revealed significant left main and two-vessel coronary artery disease. Preoperative testing indicated severe left ventricular dysfunction. The patient was scheduled for urgent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Due to the low ejection fraction, an intra-aortic balloon pump was inserted in the operating theatre before sternotomy, to enhance the patient's haemodynamic stability during surgery. A 6 Fr introducer was inserted into the femoral artery under echocardiographic guidance. Using a 150-cm guidewire, the intra-aortic balloon catheter was advanced through the introducer to the descending thoracic aorta. The catheter's tip position, just distal to the origin of the left subclavian artery, was confirmed via transoesophageal echocardiography. The external part of the catheter was secured to the skin and connected to the balloon console. Therapy was initiated, and the inflation/deflation parameters were optimized. A double off-pump coronary artery bypass was performed via median sternotomy. The patient remained haemodynamically stable throughout the surgery, aided by the intra-aortic balloon pump, and careful volume and vasoactive management. The patient was extubated promptly, and the device was removed on the second postoperative day without complications.