Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Preoperative IABP in Patients with Ejection Fraction of 0.25 or Less

Background. The purposes of this study are to determine whether patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction benefit from prophylactic insertion of an intraaortic balloon pump and to evaluate its coste-ffectiveness. Methods. Between January 1991 and December 1995, 163 consecutive patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 0.25 or less underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. An intraaortic balloon pump was inserted before operation in 37 patients (group A). The remaining 126 patients underwent operation without preoperative insertion of the device (group B). Preoperatively, 91.9% (34/37) of group A patients and 54.8% (69/126) of group B patients were in New York Heart Association functional class III or IV ( p Results. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.7% (1/37) and 11.9% (15/126) for groups A and B, respectively ( p p = not significant). Conclusions. Our experience suggests that patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting may benefit from preoperative intraaortic balloon pump insertion, especially patients in functional class III or IV. This approach improved survival significantly, reduced hospital stay, and was more cost-effective.