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The intra-aortic balloon pump has been proven to be an effective form of therapy in a variety of situations involving actual or potential ventricular power failure. An experience with 12 newly-designed percutaneous PERCOR-TM intra-aortic balloon pumps is discussed. Emphasis is made on the ease of insertion and removal, and on the fact that a trained surgical team in an operating room setting is not necessary. Effectiveness of the balloon in comparison to the traditional intra-aortic balloon pump is also discussed.

A patient with acute right ventricular failure and severe hemodynamic instability following coronary artery revascularization was treated with intra-aortic and intravenous balloon pumping. The intravenous balloon was timed to inflate during diastole and deflate during systole as did the intra-aortic balloon; in fact, the two were connected to the same system through a Y-connector. The intravenous balloon acted as an artificial atrium, which allowed approximately 20% improvement in the cardiac output when this intravenous balloon was functioning. Hemodynamic stability was achieved with this system. Intravenous balloon pumping should be considered for patients with unstable hemodynamics secondary to acute right ventricular failure.

A permanent parallel aortic pump (PAP), essentially a permanent intra-aortic balloon pump or modified dynamic aortic patch, has been designed to support failing left ventricles The PAP is a counterpulsation system in which an external energy source delivers a pulsatile wave into the central circulation during cardiac diastole and relaxes during cardiac systole. Clinical improvement occurred in two patients after PAP implantation. The initial regimen of continuous pumping evolved to intermittent left ventricular assistance, and the patients were able to be periodically disconnected from the pump and ambulated. The patients expired 39 and 34 days after implantation due to gastrointestinal bleeding and complications of chronic emphysema and tracheostomy. Autopsy revealed that surgery for both devices had entirely healed.