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Updated: May 1, 2026
The Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump
Published on: February 5, 2021
Coronary and microvascular physiology during intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation
Kalpa De Silva1, Matthew Lumley1, Balrik Kailey1
1King's College London British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence, National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas's National Health Service Foundation Trust, Cardiovascular Division, The Rayne Institute, London, United Kingdom.
Objectives:
This study sought to identify the effect of coronary autoregulation on myocardial perfusion during intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy.
Background:
IABP is the most commonly used circulatory support device, although its efficacy in certain scenarios has been questioned. The impact of alterations in microvascular function on IABP efficacy has not previously been evaluated in humans.
Methods:
Thirteen patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction: 34 ± 8%) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were recruited. Simultaneous intracoronary pressure and Doppler-flow measurements were undertaken in the target vessel following percutaneous coronary intervention, during unassisted and IABP-assisted conditions. Coronary autoregulation was modulated by the use of intracoronary adenosine, inducing maximal hyperemia. Wave intensity analysis characterized the coronary wave energies associated with balloon counterpulsation.
Results:
Two unique diastolic coronary waves were temporally associated with IABP device use; a forward compression wave and a forward expansion wave caused by inflation and deflation, respectively. During basal conditions, IABP therapy increased distal coronary pressure (82.4 ± 16.1 vs. 88.7 ± 17.8 mm Hg, p = 0.03), as well as microvascular resistance (2.32 ± 0.52 vs. 3.27 ± 0.41 mm Hg cm s(-1), p = 0.001), with no change in average peak velocity (30.6 ± 12.0 vs. 26.6 ± 11.3 cm s(-1), p = 0.59). When autoregulation was disabled, counterpulsation caused an increase in average peak velocity (39.4 ± 10.5 vs. 44.7 ± 17.5 cm s(-1), p = 0.002) that was linearly related with IABP-forward compression wave energy (R(2) = 0.71, p = 0.001).
Conclusions:
Autoregulation ameliorates the effect of IABP on coronary flow. However, during hyperemia, IABP augments myocardial perfusion, principally due to a diastolic forward compression wave caused by balloon inflation, suggesting IABP would be of greatest benefit when microcirculatory reserve is exhausted.
