Entrapping of the clotted intra-aortic balloon in the descending aorta.
Percutaneous insertion of a catheter for intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) was introduced in 1979 by Bregman and Casarella and has become a popular technique. Rupture of the balloon, allowing clot to form inside it, is rare. When the clot is large, it may cause entrapping of the balloon. This is a potentially dangerous complication of IABP. We are aware of only one case report of this complication, by Aru and co-workers. The entrapping of the balloon in their report occurred at the site of insertion in the femoral artery. We report here a case in which the entrapping occurred in the descending aorta, and its removal required extensive exposure of the aortic bifurcation.
Shafei
H
H
Royal Brompton, London, UK.
Webb
G
G
Lennox
S C
SC
D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007423:Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping / Q000009:adverse effects*