Effect of intra-aortic balloon pumping on left ventricular function: evaluation by radionuclide ventriculography

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) on left ventricular (LV) performance in ten patients (group I) with pump failure and in ten patients (group II) with angina pectoris. Left ventricular ejection fraction, regional ejection fraction, systolic chordal shortening and volumes were measured by first-pass radionuclide ventriculography using a computerized multicrystal gamma camera. Patients in group I had significantly lower ejection fractions, regional ejection fractions and systolic chordal shortening and larger end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes than patients in group II, both on (p greater than 0.0001) and off (p less than 0.004) IABP. With IABP, the ejection fraction increased by 0 +/- 0.5% in group I and 5.8 +/- 1.7% in group II (p = 0.004); the regional ejection fraction increased by 0.1 +/- 0.9% in group I and 10.3 +/- 2.1% in group II (p = 0.0004); the systolic chordal shortening increased by 1.1 +/- 0.6% in group I and 6.5 +/- 1.1% in group II (p = 0.0006); the end-diastolic volume decreased by -0.4 +/- 6% in group I and -14 +/- 4% in group II (p = 0.07); and the end-systolic volume decreased by -1 +/- 6% in group I and -21 +/- 5% in group II (p = 0.02). Thus, IABP results in improvement in left ventricular performance in patients with angina pectoris but not in patients with pump failure.