Balloon tamponade is the use of

balloon A balloon is a flexible membrane bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. For special purposes, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), ...

s inserted into the

esophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus (Œ, archaic spelling) (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), c ...

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...

, and inflated to alleviate or stop

refractory In materials science, a refractory (or refractory material) is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat or chemical attack and that retains its strength and rigidity at high temperatures. They are inorganic, non-metallic compound ...

bleeding.

Esophagus or stomach

Examples include: *

Sengstaken–Blakemore tube A Sengstaken–Blakemore tube is a medical device inserted through the nose or mouth and used occasionally in the management of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to esophageal varices (distended and fragile veins in the esophageal wall, usua ...

, with three lumens (two balloons and a gastric aspiration port). Pressure can be applied to gastric and esophageal varices by balloon inflation and traction. * Linton tube, with a large gastric balloon, and gastric and esophageal aspirates * Minnesota four-lumen tube, with esophageal and gastric balloons, and esophageal and gastric aspirates. Balloon tamponade is considered a bridge to more definitive treatment modalities, and is usually administered in the emergency department or in the

intensive-care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensive care medicine. An inten ...

setting, due to the illness of patients and the complications of the procedure.

Uterus

In the uterus, balloon tamponade can alleviate or stop

postpartum hemorrhage Postpartum bleeding or postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is often defined as the loss of more than 500 ml or 1,000 ml of blood following childbirth. Some have added the requirement that there also be signs or symptoms of low blood volume fo ...

(PPH). Inflating a

in the uterus successfully treats atonic postpartum hemorrhage refractory to medical management in approximately 80% of cases. Such procedure is relatively simple, inexpensive and has low surgical morbidity. A ''

Bakri balloon The Bakri balloon is a medical device invented and designed by Dr. Younes Noaman Bakri in 1999. The obstetrical balloon is a 24 French, 54 cm-long, silicone catheter with a filling capacity of 500 mL. The device is used for the temporary co ...

'' is a balloon tamponade specifically constructed for uterine postpartum hemorrhage. The Bakri balloon tamponade (BBT), designed for postpartum hemorrhage, is an effective life-saving balloon. A recent study involving 50 cases was carried out by the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland. With an overall success rate of 86%, the authors concluded that the Bakri balloon tamponade is "a simple, readily available, effective and safe procedure" in the management of postpartum hemorrhage. The research also indicates that BBT is able to provide practitioners with "time for other interventions or transportation from local hospital to tertiary centre". The authors of the study recommend BBT be included in the PPH protocol. An alternative to the Bakri is the BT-Cath (balloon-tamponade catheter) which has an easy-fill system allowing single person inflation and saving time in the theatre setting. The BT-Cath is more pear-shaped and contours to the uterus more easily than the Bakri. A low-cost alternative is a condom balloon tamponade, a form of intrauterine tamponade, created from a catheter, a male latex condom, and a string to tie the condom to the catheter. The method was developed in Bangladesh in 2001 by

Sayeba Akhter Sayeba Akhter (born 1953) is a Bangladeshi physician who has dedicated her career to eliminating obstetric fistula. She is an executive member of the International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons and has previously served as the president o ...

and has since been supported by health workers worldwide as an effective method to stop postpartum hemorrhage, particularly in low-resource settings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balloon Tamponade Digestive system procedures Obstetrics

Esophagus or stomach

Uterus

See also

References