Pulmonary Venous Diastolic Flow Reversal and Flash Pulmonary Edema During Management of Ongoing Myocardial Ischemia with Intraaortic Balloon Pump.

A 65-year-old man was admitted for acute coronary syndrome with depressed left ventricular function and moderate aortic regurgitation. He was managed with an intraaortic balloon pump for circulatory support before coronary artery bypass grafting and subsequently developed flash pulmonary edema with an associated rare finding of diastolic pulmonary venous flow reversal. In this report, we provide a review of intraaortic balloon pump use in current clinical practice and elaborate on the pathophysiology of an uncommon pulmonary venous flow pattern found in our patient.