The use of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Intraaortic balloon counterpulsation was implemented in 11 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 1 patient with unstable angina. All patients had severe multivessel coronary artery disease. In 9 patients counterpulsation was used in conjunction with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, in 3 - with thrombolytic therapy. During hospitalization 2 patients died of progressing heart failure, while significant improvement of hemodynamic parameters occurred in other patients. Thus intraaortic balloon counterpulsation used in combination with angioplasty and thrombolytic therapy is an easily accessible highly effective method of treatment of cardiogenic shock in patients with acute myocardial infarction