Mechanical Circulatory Support. The Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP)

Abstract

The treatment of the critical cardiac patient with severe hemodynamic compromise due to cardiac dysfunction may include the use of a transient mechanical circulatory support device called an Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). The nursing staff attending these patients must be involved and familiar with this device, both in its management and in its insertion and removal. This article aims to describe it, how it works and its physiological effects, as well as the role of the nurse in the care of patients who carry it.