Stopping the bleed when tourniquets cannot: a technique for Foley catheter balloon compression in trauma

Hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in trauma. Prehospital hemorrhage control techniques include tourniquet application for extremity wounds and direct compression; however, tourniquets are not effective in anatomic junctions, and direct compression is highly operator dependent. Balloon catheter compression has been employed previously in trauma care, but its use has been confined to the operating room and restricted to specific anatomic injuries.

In a single-center retrospective review, we describe a technique for balloon catheter compression for hemorrhage control that can be employed across the continuum of trauma care, from the prehospital setting to the trauma bay, the operating room, and postoperative period.

Of 18,303 trauma patients in Venezuela, 45% of the 1757 patients with vascular injuries received Foley catheter compression for hemorrhage control. Of these catheters, the majority (75%) were placed in the emergency department, 5% in the prehospital setting, and 20% in the operating room. Over half (53.2%) of the balloon catheters were placed for hemorrhage control in non-compressible anatomic junctions.

Foley catheter balloon compression is a useful addition to a provider’s arsenal of hemorrhage control techniques, as it is effective in anatomic junctions, preserves collateral circulation through focused compression, and requires minimal active physical attention to maintain hemostasis.