This site is intended for healthcare professionals

account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Intraaortic balloon pumping

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Intraaortic balloon pumping is used to provide temporary mechanical assistance to a failing left ventricle.

A balloon catheter is inserted via the femoral artery into the aorta. Under radiographic screening, the balloon is positioned just distal to the aortic arch.

Using the ECG or the intraaortic pressure profile as a trigger, inflation and deflation of the balloon are synchronised with the heart beat:

  • the balloon is inflated during ventricular diastole, resulting in improved coronary and cerebral perfusion
  • the balloon is deflated during ventricular systole resulting in a reduction in the peripheral resistance

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.