Femorofemoral bypass to relieve acute leg ischemia during intra-aortic balloon pump cardiac support.

This study reports our experience with 10 patients who underwent the emergent construction of a femorofemoral bypass graft to salvage an acutely ischemic lower extremity following the insertion of a transfemoral intra-aortic balloon pump catheter. All patients had excellent resolution of the ischemia and salvage of the extremity. Half of the procedures were done at the bedside with the remainder performed in the operating room. No long-term infections or ischemic sequelae resulted from the procedures in the nine patients available for long-term follow-up. The use of femorofemoral bypass grafting is, therefore, recommended in patients with severe ipsilateral limb ischemia who are dependent on an intra-aortic balloon pump to prevent extremity tissue loss as well as the systemic metabolic manifestations of ongoing tissue ischemia and necrosis. Patient selection, technical considerations, and postoperative management are discussed.