Optimization and safety of the intra-aortic balloon pumping balloon catheter.

Tokai Medical Products developed an intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) balloon catheter with the following unique characteristics: the balloon can be applied to any patient irrespective of their physical size, and is therefore suitable for Japanese patients of small stature; a long soft tip is used, which is designed to avoid damage to blood vessels; the size of the catheter is reduced to 7 Fr, and the catheter can be used as a multifunctional balloon catheter, such as the Yoshioka type, that allows simultaneous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The safety of this catheter has been proven in scientific studies. In this review, we report the development of our IABP balloon catheter and give an outline of its characteristics.