But there’s also the “balloon pressure waveform”. What’s that for?
The arterial wave comes from the patient, so it doesn’t tell you anything about the balloon itself. The balloon pressure wave tells you if the balloon is inflating or deflating properly. Usually in my experience if the balloon is timing well and producing a good-looking waveform, then the balloon waveform is taking care of itself. You are still responsible for knowing what the wave is supposed to look like, and you should keep a copy of the IABP waveform card to check. Here’s an example of a properly timed waveform:
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