• R H Vonderheide, R Thadhani, and D J Kuter.
• Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
• Am. J. Med. 1998 Jul 1; 105 (1): 27-32.

PurposeThe intra-aortic balloon pump has become an important tool in the management of patients with severe coronary artery disease. Although pump-induced thrombocytopenia was described more than 20 years ago, there has been no prospective study of this condition.Patients And MethodsIn a prospective study of consecutive adult intensive care patients admitted with acute coronary syndromes, we compared serial platelet counts in 58 patients treated with an intra-aortic balloon pump with 51 patients who were not. All patients received intravenous heparin.ResultsClinical characteristics of the two groups were similar, except that unstable angina was more frequent among balloon pump patients. On each of 6 consecutive days, the mean platelet counts of patients treated with a balloon pump were significantly lower than those of non-pump patients. Platelet counts (mean +/- SD) of balloon pump patients decreased to a nadir of 63% +/- 4% of the initial count on day 4, but subsequently stabilized. There was only a slight, transient decrease in the platelet counts of non-pump patients. Overall, 47% of balloon pump patients developed thrombocytopenia (platelet count <150,000/mm3) compared with 12% of non-pump patients (P <0.01). Platelet counts dropped by at least half of initial counts in 26% of balloon pump patients compared with 4% of non-pump patients (P <0.01). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the use of an intra-aortic balloon pump was independently associated with a substantial (> or =50%) decline in platelet count (odds ratio 7.2, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 40, P = 0.03). Removal of the balloon pump was associated with a rapid increase in platelet count.ConclusionsThe use of an intra-aortic balloon pump led to a steady and predictable decrease in platelet count, which recovered rapidly if the balloon pump was removed or slowly if the device remained in place.

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