Perforation of the descending aorta by the tip of an intra-aortic balloon pump catheter.

Perforation of the proximal descending aorta occurred in a patient on intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support after emergency coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction. The IABP catheter was inserted under fluoroscopic guidance into the right femoral artery without difficulty, but after 8 h on IABP support the patient went into shock with a left hemothorax. Emergency surgery was performed with cardiopulmonary bypass and a perforation of the proximal descending aorta with active bleeding was found and successfully repaired. A distorted descending aorta in which the IABP catheter was kinked, as in the aortic arch, was discovered during surgery and confirmed postoperatively with 3-dimensional computed tomography scans, particularly in the lateral view. Not only the antero-posterior but also the lateral fluoroscopic view is recommended to prevent aortic perforation by a kinked IABP catheter.