Abstract
Emergency percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass support (PCPS) was instituted after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in eight patients who had cardiac arrest (four patients, standstill; four patients, ventricular fibrillation) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In seven patients intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP) was also used. Four patients had three-vessel disease, and two of these four had severe stenosis in the left main trunk. Four patients had a history of prior myocardial infarction. In one patient impending rupture of the thoracic aorta complicated AMI. All eight patients had cardiac arrest in our hospital, and PCPS was started from 20 to 30 minutes after cardiac arrest. In seven patients surgical treatment was carried out: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was done in six patients and left ventricle free wall plasty in one. Only one patient who developed cardiac tamponade during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) because of rupture of the coronary artery was rescued and left our hospital. It is concluded that PCPS does not effectively rescue patients with cardiac arrest due to severe ischemic heart disease and broad myocardial damage. But it may be useful for patients whose left ventricular function is relatively well preserved or who go into cardiogenic shock as a result of mechanical causes.
