Neurological abnormalities in the leg(s) after use of intraaortic balloon pump: report of six cases.

Six patients from a group of 39 who survived after treatment with the intraaortic balloon pump (lABP) had significant neurological deficits in one or both legs associated with the use of the lABP. The device was used in a group of 89 patients initially for cardiogenic shock but its use has been expanded for patients having the following conditions: preshock; severe congestive heart failure; refractory angina; and for those undergoing open-heart surgery. The six patients who had neurological sequelae had eight lABP insertions into the thoracic aorta through the femoral artery and had neurological abnormalities and/or electromyographic abnormalities in nine lower extremities ranging from a foot drop to almost total paralysis of the lower extremity. The pathophysiology of the neurological deficit is postulated to be an obstruction to blood flow, or thromboemboli, in the femoral artery.