title: Prophylactic intra-aortic balloon pump is useful to facilitate percutaneous coronary interventions: images from rescue cases.
abstract: Images are presented of coronary reperfusion that occurred shortly after insertion of an intra-aortic balloon pump for counter-pulsation in 3 patients with acute myocardial infarction refractory to thrombolytic therapy and hemodynamic derangement. It is shown that prophylactic intra-aortic balloon pump use may facilitate percutaneous coronary intervention during acute myocardial infarction and it is useful to provide a visual assessment of myocardial flow restoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Cardiology, Sant'Anna Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schiariti
authors.forename: Paolo Emilio
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Puddu
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nesta
authors.forename: Placido
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.forename: Bindo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Missiroli
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cassese
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D006801:Humans; D007423:Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000601:surgery*