The Use of Angio-Seal for Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Removal in the ICU

The use of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) to support the heart during cardiac surgery is a well-established technique. The removal of this device is generally performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) by applying manual pressure. This then requires the patient to lie flat for 4 hours; the Angio-Seal reduces this to 30 minutes. This unit now routinely uses this device to remove IABPs in the ICU. While the use of the Angio-Seal for this purpose has previously been described, no protocol of how to do this has been published. This article provides a protocol for the use of this device in the removal of IABP.