The Use of a Urinary Balloon Catheter to Control Hemorrhage From Penetrating Torso Trauma: A Single-Center Experience at a Major Inner-City Hospital Trauma Center

INTRODUCTION

Use of a urinary catheter balloon tamponade (UCBT) in controlling traumatic hemorrhage is a frequently employed but infrequently described technique. We aim to discuss the experience of balloon tamponade as a bridge to definitive hemorrhage control in the operating room.

METHODS

This is retrospective review at a single institution from January 2008 to December 2018. We identified patients with active bleeding from penetrating torso trauma in whom UCBT was used to tamponade bleeding. We used revised trauma score (RTS), injury severity score (ISS), and new trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) to quantify injury severity. All surviving patients required definitively hemorrhage control in the operating room. Primary endpoint was mortality at 24 hours and 30 days.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients were managed with UCBT. Nine had hemorrhage controlled in the trauma bay, including 4 with neck trauma and 5 with cardiac trauma. Twenty patients had hemorrhage controlled in the operating room, including 15 with cardiac trauma and 5 with intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Mean RTS, ISS, and TRISS in this population were: 5.93, 19.31, and 83.78, respectively. Of the 9 patients treated in the trauma bay, 1 (11.1%) died in the first 24 hours and 2 died in the first 30 days (22.2%). Of the 20 patients treated in the operating room, 0 (0%) patients died in the first 24 hours and 3 died in the first 30 days (15.0%).

CONCLUSION

UCBT is an effective tool that can be used to stabilize and bridge an actively bleeding patient to definitive hemorrhage control in the operating room.