Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Review 9/06

Deflation Timing

2. 
   What is the “point of isovolumic contraction”?
   

This refers to the point in the cardiac cycle when the chambers have filled with blood at the end of diastole – the chamber walls are building up pressure to start systolic contraction, and this is the point at which the heart is working the hardest.

10. 
    What is “myocardial stroke work”?
    

Myocardial stroke work is the effort that the heart puts out with each systolic contraction. In cardiogenic shock, the pump is having a hard time pumping – so stroke work is something you want to try to reduce – which is exactly what balloon deflation does.

10. 
    How do I make sure my deflation timing is right?
    

The deflation knob is the right-hand one on the console. Turning the knob clockwise, to the right, moves the deflation wave to the right (later). Move the knob to the right until the BAEDP looks sharpened, and lower than the patients’ diastolic, but not so far that it begins to rise – check the diagram to help you remember which points are supposed to be lower than which.

See how the second diastolic (the assisted one) is lower than the first one (the patient’s)? Like the inflation point, the point at the BAEDP (the point of the arrow on the right) should be nice and sharp. If this point begins to rise, you need to reset the timing to correct it.

10. 
    Which way do I turn the knobs on the console?
    

This is worth repeating – the safe positions of the knobs are turned “inwards” towards the center of the console. You time inflation by moving the left-hand knob counterclockwise, or to the left, away from the center. Deflation is timed with the right-knob, again, starting from the center, towards the right, away from the center.