BALLARD* MINI-BAL SAMPLING CATHETER

PROVEN TO ENABLE A MORE ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS,
FOR MORE TARGETED ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT

BALLARD* Mini-BAL Sampling Catheter is a telescoping catheter that safely samples a patient’s lower respiratory tract secretions, giving physicians the data they need to make an accurate lung infection diagnosis and prescribe targeted antibiotic treatment.1 Using bronchoalveolar lavage as a tool to help diagnose lower respiratory tract disease has been shown to reduce both antibiotic usage and healthcare costs.2

Since 2001, over 200,000 BALLARD* Mini-BAL Sampling Catheters have been produced, showing a history of safe use.

The BALLARD* Mini-BAL Sampling Catheter has a soft, directional tip that allows safe and quick retrieval of lower respiratory tract samples. This can help avoid the false negatives and false positives seen in an estimated 23% of endotracheal aspirate cultures.2 These secretions from the distal airway can help identify infectious pathogens of the lung for a microbiologically confirmed diagnosis.

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  1. American Thoracic Society Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Hospital-acquired, Ventilator-associated, and Healthcare-associated Pneumonia. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, V. 171, 388-416 (2005).
  2. Fujitani, S, Cohen-Melamed MH, Tuttle RP, Delgado E, Yasuhiko T, Darby, JM. Comparison of semi-quantitative endotracheal aspirates to quantitative non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage in diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia. Respiratory Care, November 2009 V. 54, No 11, 1453-1461.
  3. Kollef MH, Ward S. The influence of mini-BAL cultures on patient outcomes: implications for the antibiotic management of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Chest 1998: 113(2); 412-420.
  4. Yu VL, Singh N, Excessive antimicrobial usage causes measurable harm to patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia. Intensive Care Med 2004:30(5): 735-738.
    Ost, DE, et al. Decision analysis of antibiotic and diagnostic strategies in VAP. Am J Respir Care Med, 2003; 168(9): 1060-7.

There are inherent risks in the use of all prescription medical devices. Please see the full Directions for Use containing Indications, Cautions, Warnings and other relevant information.