Evaluation of balloon tamponade of the abdominal aorta. An adjunct to the treatment of hemorrhagic shock.

Simple, yet effective methods for emergency treatment and control of intra-abdominal hemorrhage have long been sought without apparent success. The following Part I of a two part experiment is intended to evaluate the efficacy of a percutaneously inserted intra-aortic, infra-diaphragmatie balloon tamponade for this purpose. Part II of our experiment is concerned with the morbidity and mortality associated with the use of the catheter balloon. The sequelae of aortic clamping above the coeliac artery in dog and man were reviewed. Total occlusion for more than 30 minutes was associated with hind limb paralysis and death in ever increasing proportion as the occlusion time increased [l-4].