Anybody ever see an IABP balloon failure?

allnurses Guide · Sep 13, 2009

Multiple times - ruptured balloon catheters are not uncommon, and are the reason every time I check an IABP pt, I follow the tubing from the console to the patient to check for blood.

Most important thing is to make sure it gets stopped and pulled within 30mins MAX to prevent helium embolus or balloon entrapment and subsequent vascular damage (or requirement for surgical removal).

We keep the catheters and return to the company for analysis too.

catshowlady · Sep 13, 2009

Thanks. We don't see balloon pumps everyday - a few a month, usually, and they come in batches. This is the first time I have ever seen one fail. Of course we are trained to know what to do, but it was sure a shock. None of the other nurses on my unit have ever seen one fail either (and I had the rather surreal experience of watching every nurse in my unit come to see my pt and her pump!).

We also kept the catheter for return and inspection.

TakeBack · Sep 13, 2009

The balloon should cease immediately due to a failure in pressurization; it should be pulled right away and replaced via the same sheath.

If the pt is sick enough to require the IABP I wouldn't leave them w/o the support, let alone the thrombotic risk of it sitting there.

catshowlady · Sep 14, 2009

Doc arrived within ten minutes of my call to him; I specifically asked about a new balloon. He decided against it as the pt had stabilized significantly over the course of the day, among other reasons. We are not allowed to pull them, although I would have figured out something if he hadn't been able to come right away.

allnurses Guide · Sep 14, 2009

Yeah, like an unplanned extubation, sometimes it leads to a happy accidental wean! In my experience it's very unusual to have them put a new catheter right back in the same sheath.

criticalHP, MSN, RN · Sep 14, 2009

Agree with OP's. It's always a good idea to develop a systematic assessment to perform. I do the following: ensure leveling,flush line, hemodynamics, inspect full length helium tubing, inspect and palpate site, pulses. I also document a cuff pressure every hour- our hosp policy.

We had a pt who's balloon ruptured in the middle of the night-no perfusionist or cath lab in house that late. Doc was in house and had to pull. Rn's can not do this in our hospital, Ended up calling in cath lab to put in new IABP as pt was still very ill. We do not use the same sheath in case it is damaged in any way-better safe than sorry.

JustMe · Sep 18, 2009

This is as good a reason as any that EVERY pt with an IABP should be a 1:1. In our facility some pts come from the cath lab with a pump before they go to surgery the next day. They are relatively stable for the time being, so our manager says they're not a 1:1. Complications from IABP placement can be life-threatening even if the pt is stable.

allnurses Guide · Sep 20, 2009

Complications from many things in critical care can be lethal, but that doesn't necessarily make them require 1:1. Nor should any piece of equipment - that patient's condition should dictate the level of care required. Like anything else, monitoring is what will identify a problem - ruptured balloons are not common (0-6% is the data I just read) and gas emboli resulting from a ruptured balloon is significantly rarer.

A stable patient on ventilator, IABP, CRRT, inotropes... all of them can die if something goes wrong. The incidence of unplanned extubation far outweighs that of IABC rupture and many places don't have 1:1 care of mechanically vented patients.

Staffing level is of course immensely important. The important thing is education of staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of device complications - even if you're 1:1, you'd better turn that IAB console off fast if you get low pressure/helium leak alarms and/or see blood in the tubing.

Zookeeper3 · Sep 21, 2009

this is as good a reason as any that every pt with an iabp should be a 1:1. in our facility some pts come from the cath lab with a pump before they go to surgery the next day. they are relatively stable for the time being, so our manager says they're not a 1:1. complications from iabp placement can be life-threatening even if the pt is stable.

i don't remember the last time an iabp was a 1:1. those were the days! while i think they are a 1:1 too, i've adjusted to having them in a pair. management speak... :we can't staff for "what ifs".... i'm with you though.

i've never had a balloon rupture, although i've had the balloon fold back in on itself when in a 1:3 mode and not unfold.... some patients are very dependent on even a 1:3. we can't pull them either, so the doc's have to come in if perfusion is in on a case in the or.

criticalHP, MSN, RN · Oct 6, 2009

Complications from many things in critical care can be lethal, but that doesn't necessarily make them require 1:1. Nor should any piece of equipment - that patient's condition should dictate the level of care required. Like anything else, monitoring is what will identify a problem - ruptured balloons are not common (0-6% is the data I just read) and gas emboli resulting from a ruptured balloon is significantly rarer.
A stable patient on ventilator, IABP, CRRT, inotropes... all of them can die if something goes wrong. The incidence of unplanned extubation far outweighs that of IABC rupture and many places don't have 1:1 care of mechanically vented patients.
Staffing level is of course immensely important. The important thing is education of staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of device complications - even if you're 1:1, you'd better turn that IAB console off fast if you get low pressure/helium leak alarms and/or see blood in the tubing.

Agree completely, ghillbert. Pt condition should dictate staffing levels, along with the staff experience. We would have experienced RNs in the IABP rooms in a 1:1 assignment, but then they would resource for new hires or less exp RN's if the pt was stable. We also tried to get the new hires in the IABP assignments and have another RN resource. Anyway- we tried to keep patients safe, staff happy, and foster a psotive working enviroment--sappy sappy, love, love---but its true:redbeathe

catshowlady · Oct 7, 2009

On my unit, the staffing compromise is to have that balloon pump 1:1 for the first six hours or so, then if they are stable you would be given a second stable pt. That way, you have six hours to get all the tubes & lines in, stabilize the pt, and get all the paperwork & charting caught up. It works really well for us.