Use of Foley’s Catheter to Control Port-Site Bleeding in Bariatric Surgery

Abdominal wall bleeding in the port-site insertion placed during laparoscopic bariatric surgery is often difficult to control. From January 2005 to August 2011, 226 patients underwent bariatric surgery at our institutions. Seventeen patients (7.5%) presented port-site bleeding that could not be controlled with electrocautery and Foley's catheter (24 F) was used for bleeding inhibition. Of the 17 patients, there were 12 females (70.6%) and five males (29.4%) with a mean age of 38.35 years. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 44.2. Most of bleeding port-sites were located in hypochondrium and were 12-mm size. After the catheter removal (median 36 h), bleeding did not recur in any case. There were no other complications related to the port-side bleeding and the Foley catheter placement. Hospital stay was not prolonged due to the use of the Foley catheter. Port-site bleeding in bariatric surgery is a frequent complication. In up to 7.5% of the cases, the haemorrhage cannot be controlled with electrocautery. Compression with Foley catheter balloon is a safe and efficient method to stop bleeding.