As a nurse, you may often come across medical devices with a retention balloon. For example, it may be on a urinary catheter, where its function is to anchor it in the bladder, or on an endotracheal tube, where the balloon ensures that no air leaks from the lungs and prevents fluids or contaminants from entering the lungs. You will also find a retention balloon in various fecal management systems like the Flexi-Seal™ FMS, where its overall function is to gently anchor in the rectum and prevent stool leakage. While retention balloons seem to serve similar purposes across disciplines, Flexi-Seal was designed to conform with your patients, not other balloons.
The details make the design
At Convatec, we invest in the development and design of our products, and creating the optimal retention balloon is one of our continuous goals. The shape, size, and softness of the rectal balloon of fecal management systems are designed to minimize mucosal damage after insertion into the rectum1. This is why every Flexi-Seal™ in the portfolio is designed with soft components to minimize damage to patient tissue. We believe that a retention balloon should be made of a soft, flexible, non-irritating material that does not harden or wrinkle during use.
Easily inserted, safely removed2
We have also designed the device to be easy to insert and remove. The retention balloon has a blue finger pocket for easy and accurate placement in the rectal vault.
When the device is removed, only a small amount of withdrawal force is required, and the retention balloon is designed to minimize fecal splatter - an important consideration for healthcare professionals when assessing the potential risk of contamination and infection to the hospital environment, caregivers, and neighboring patients.2
One size does not fit all
We know that one size does not fit all; the volume for optimal fit varies from patient to patient3. Therefore, we developed a way to control and regulate the amount of inflation by adding a fill indicator that senses when the retention balloon is optimally inflated inside the patient and visually indicates over-inflation. It reduces the chance of leakage and is designed to minimize the risk of tissue necrosis.
To read more about the importance of a custom fit, click here.
To learn more about the product features and how they can benefit you as a nurse and the patients you care for, please contact your local Flexi-Seal representative.
- References
- Bayón García, R Binks, E De Luca, et al. Expert recommendations for managing acute faecal incontinence with diarrhoea in the intensive care unit. Journal of the Intensive Care Society.2013; 14(4 Suppl):1-9
- Metcalf et al. Contamination Risk During Fecal Management Device Removal: An In vitro, Simulated Clinical Use Study. Wound Manage Prev 2019; 65(3): 30–37.
- Optimizing Fecal Containment Using Individualized Balloon Volumes; Catherine T. Milne APRN, MSN, BC-ANP, CWOCN1; Ann Durnal RN, BSN, CWOCN2; Mary Webb, RN, BSN, MA, CIC3, 1Connecticut Clinical Nursing Associates, LLC, Bristol, Connecticut; 2 Ascension Carondelet St Mary’s Hospital, Tucson, Arizona;3San Mateo Medical Center, San Mateo, California AP-71285-GBL-ENG-v1