Elective use of intra-aortic balloon pumping during Whipple's procedure in a patient with ischaemic heart disease

Abstract

A 61-year-old man with diabetes who presented with carcinoma of the head of the pancreas was detected to have severe coronary artery disease. Coronary artery bypass grafting was advised. In view of the urgent nature of the abdominal surgery, resection of the malignancy was carried out prior to coronary revascularisation, after placement of an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) following induction of anaesthesia to prevent perioperative myocardial ischaemia. The use of an IABP in a noncardiac setting is not well established. Only 16 cases have been reported. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second documented case of the use of elective IABP during Whipple's procedure.