Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
Controlled Cervical Laceration Injury in Mice
Published on: May 9, 2013
New device for temporary hemorrhage control in penetrating injuries to the ventricles
Joao Baptista Rezende-Neto1, Howard Leong-Poi2, Sandro Rizoli3
1Department of Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
A novel device effectively controlled cardiac hemorrhage in swine models, outperforming Foley catheters. This new device offers a safer temporary solution for cardiac injuries, minimizing impact on cardiac function during emergencies.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Emergency Medicine
- Medical Device Innovation
Background:
- Hemorrhage control in cardiac injuries is critical, especially in emergency settings.
- Current methods like digital occlusion and suture are challenging in the emergency department (ED).
- Foley catheters are used for temporary control but raise safety and efficacy concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a new device for temporary hemorrhage control in cardiac injuries.
- To compare the efficacy and safety of the new device against Foley catheters.
Main Methods:
- Full-thickness cardiac injuries were created in adult swine ventricles.
- Hemorrhage was controlled using either the new device or a Foley catheter.
- Blood loss, cardiac function (echocardiogram), and wound characteristics were assessed.
Main Results:
- The new device significantly reduced blood loss compared to the Foley catheter in both right and left ventricles.
- The device caused less disruption to cardiac function, including tricuspid and mitral regurgitation, stroke volume, and ejection fraction.
- Foley catheter insertion led to wound enlargement, while the new device did not.
Conclusions:
- The novel device provides effective temporary control of cardiac hemorrhage.
- Its low-profile design minimizes interference with cardiac function, making it advantageous in shock conditions.
- This device represents an improvement over Foley catheters for managing cardiac injuries in critical care.
Background:
The best way to control hemorrhage from cardiac injuries is through digital occlusion followed by suture. However, this is difficult to accomplish in the emergency department (ED) setting. Generally, temporary control is obtained in advance of definitive treatment in the operating room. Despite safety and efficacy concerns, balloon Foley catheter insertion through the injury is still an option following ED thoracotomies. We developed a new device for temporary hemorrhage control in cardiac injuries and compared it to the Foley.
Methods:
6 adult swine (n=6) underwent full-thickness (1.5 cm) injury along the longitudinal axis of the right ventricle (RV). After 5 s of bleeding, hemorrhage control was attempted with either the device or the Foley, and blood loss quantified. Subsequently, the wound was sutured and mean arterial pressure was restored to baseline with lactated Ringer's infusion. Subsequently, another injury 2 cm apart in the same ventricle was managed with apparatus not employed in the first injury. The same followed in the LV totaling 4 injuries per animal, 2 in each ventricle. Intraoperative echocardiogram, laboratory test and final wound sizes assessed.
Results:
The device resulted in less bleeding than the Foley; RV 58.7±11.3 vs 147.7±30.9 mL, LV 81.7±11.9 vs 187.5±40.3 mL (p<0.05). Percent change in tricuspid regurgitation was less with the device than FO, 66.6% vs 400%. Mitral regurgitation increased 16% with Foley, but remained unchanged with the device. Changes in stroke volume and LV ejection fraction were less with the device than with Foley; SV 2.09% vs 12.48%, left ventricular ejection fraction 0.46% vs 5.45%. Foley insertion enlarged the wounds. Platelet count, complete blood count, prothrombin time, activated prothrombin time and fibrinogen decreased, whereas troponin and lactate increased compared with baseline, underscoring the magnitude of shock.
Conclusions:
Cardiac hemorrhage was effectively controlled with the new device. The low-profile collapsible blocking membrane interfered less with cardiac function than did the balloon of the Foley, an important asset in the context of shock.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Anatomy of the Brain: Ventricles
01:23Mnemonic Devices
Acronyms
Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...
00:51Non-ohmic Devices
Consider a simple circuit consisting of a battery, a diode, and a resistor. A...
01:21Control System Problem
When forming a closed-loop system, issues can arise if the poles cross into the unstable region, leading to potential...
02:33Combinatorial Gene Control
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...