A balloon catheter is a catheter made of plastic. The name comes from the tip of the catheter, which carries an occlusion balloon that can be deployed with fluid or compressed air.
What is a balloon catheter?
The term refers to the tip of the catheter that carries an occlusion balloon that can be deployed with fluid or compressed air. Balloon catheters have a variety of uses and types in medicine. Angioplasty dilates narrowed blood vessels by means of the balloon catheter. The urinary bladder is catheterized with a blockable bladder catheter. Blockage of the bronchi by dilatation, dilatation of leg vessels or tumor treatment is also possible using a balloon catheter. Catheters are offered in a wide variety of products and in different classifications.
Shapes, types, and styles
It is impossible to imagine medicine without the thin, tubular and flexible plastic instruments. They can be used in various fields. They are used to detect diseases, catheterize the urinary bladder, dilate blood vessels and other disorders. Various medical conditions may require the placement of a catheter, so they are an indispensable diagnostic and working tool in everyday medical practice. Balloon catheters are used in urology, pain management, internal medicine, radiology and neurology. The most common types of catheters are venous catheters, bladder catheters and cardiac catheters. The use of a catheter requires a hygienic approach; the environment must be germ-free to avoid infections caused by bacteria. A bladder catheter is connected to the urinary bladder through the urethra or abdominal wall to drain the leaking urine into a bag. Catheters can be used for diagnosis and short-term or long-term treatment. In short-term treatment, patients who have urinary problems due to an injury get a bladder catheter placed. In long-term treatment, bladder catheters are used primarily in nursing care when patients are bedridden or unable to independently control their urination due to an acute illness. A bladder catheter is a plastic tube made of PVC, polyurethane, latex or silicone. Catheters are differentiated according to their intended use and differently shaped tips. This results in the designation such as “Nelaton” or “Foley”. The catheter size is measured in centimeters, the thickness is given in “Charrière”. Depending on how many integrated tubes a catheter has, they are 2-way or 3-way catheters. They are either fixed in the bladder to remain there for a long time or to flush the same. Balloon catheters are permanent transurethal catheters because for diagnostic purposes or for single use, catheters are used that do not have a balloon-shaped tip and therefore cannot be blocked and are designed to remain in place for a long time. They are only used in cases of voiding disorders of the bladder or neurogenic disorders. Balloon catheters are blockable because of their balloon-shaped tip, as they are used for permanent retention in the bladder to treat long-term conditions or in patients in need of care who cannot visit the toilet independently.
Structure and mode of operation
Transurethal indwelling balloon catheters are most commonly used as 2- or 3-way catheters. A medical solution is injected into the bulge of the catheter tip through the second tube, which causes it to pop open like a balloon, triggering the blockage to prevent the tip from slipping out of the bladder. If a third tube is present, the bladder can be flushed by injected fluid. Silicone bladder catheters are suitable for use for up to six weeks. Balloon catheters made of latex should not be used for more than one week. Access is similar to the principle of disposable catheters through the abdominal wall or urethra. To facilitate insertion, a lubricant and local anesthetic are used at the insertion site. In the case of injury to the urethra, a urethral tear, urethral stenosis, infection of the prostate or other nearby organs, physicians will not use catheterization. In the field of cardiac surgery, drug-coated or drug-releasing catheters are used to prevent blood vessels from re-narrowing.These balloon catheters are a further development of the classic balloon catheter systems used for blockage to prevent them from slipping out again at the catheterized site. Balloon catheters not only open narrowed blood vessels, but also prevent them from closing again. The tip of the balloon catheter is prepared for this purpose with a drug that specifically prevents tissue growth at the treated site when the catheter is inserted. In this way, the blood vessel cannot constrict again. In contrast to the use of stents, balloon occlusion has the advantage that no foreign body remains in the treated vessel after treatment, since the coated balloon catheter is removed again after insertion of the drug. It is then not necessary to take medication to inhibit platelets. Balloon catheters are also used in radiology to specifically prevent tumor growth at the catheterized site with the drug paclitaxel. Balloon catheters are also used to dilate narrowed leg arteries. Drugs are preferably inserted into mechanically moving vessel segments, such as the arteries in the back of the knee.
Medical and health benefits
Balloon catheters have a variety of medical uses. They simplify the diagnosis and treatment of disease and, with long-term use, make life easier for patients as a result. The most important balloon catheters are bladder catheters for draining urine in patients in need of care and those with long-term illnesses, cardiac catheters for dilating coronary arteries with a stent, catheters for dilating constricted sections of vessels in the legs, and catheters in radiology for targeted treatment of tumor diseases and destruction of tumor tissue. Because treatment using a balloon catheter is not an option for all patients, for example, in the case of injuries to the urinary bladder or bacterial infections of nearby organs, the physician decides which treatment is most appropriate, depending on the nature of the disease.
