Which statements describe an Intra Aortic Balloon Pump?

• A. Counterpulsation; inflates just before the dicrotic notch; forces blood backwards into the coronary arteries
• B. Pulses with systole to reduce coronary perfusion
• C. Pumps blood from the ventricles directly
• D. Is implanted permanently with bypass grafts

Answer: (A)

The main concept being tested is how an intra-aortic balloon pump uses counterpulsation timing to support the heart. The device inflates during diastole to raise aortic diastolic pressure, increasing blood flow into the coronary arteries when the heart muscle needs it most, and then deflates just before systole to reduce left ventricular afterload and myocardial oxygen demand. The statement that describes counterpulsation and diastolic inflation—and notes that this inflation helps push blood into the coronary arteries—best matches how an IABP works. It’s a catheter-based, temporary support that augments native circulation rather than pumping blood from the ventricles directly, and it is not implanted permanently with bypass grafts.