Schiariti Michele, Puddu Paolo Emilio, Nesta Cristina, Grillo Placido, Missiroli Bindo, Cassese Mauro
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Cardiology, Sant'Anna Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy.
Heart Surg Forum. 2007;10(5):E411-4. doi: 10.1532/HSF98.20071085.
Images are presented of coronary reperfusion that occurred shortly after insertion of an intra-aortic balloon pump for counter-pulsation in 3 patients with acute myocardial infarction refractory to thrombolytic therapy and hemodynamic derangement. It is shown that prophylactic intra-aortic balloon pump use may facilitate percutaneous coronary intervention during acute myocardial infarction and it is useful to provide a visual assessment of myocardial flow restoring.