Investigation evaluation: our laboratory evaluation of the product said to be involved confirmed the report.During a functional test, a cook dilation syringe (ds-60cc-s) was filled with water and attached to the balloon inflation port.The syringe was placed into an inflation handle, and negative pressure was applied to the balloon.After applying negative pressure, the balloon was inflated.When filling the balloon up with water, a leak was observed coming out of the distal end of the balloon at the balloon joint.No portion of the balloon appeared to be missing.The wire guide associated with this device was included in the return of the device.A visual examination of the catheter and the pre-loaded wire guide showed no kinks or bends.A product-specific discrepancy that could have caused or contributed to this observation was not observed during our laboratory analysis.The device history record for the lot number said to be involved was reviewed.A discrepancy or anomaly was not observed with the product that was released for distribution.Investigation conclusion: a definitive cause for this observation could not be determined because the actual use conditions could not be duplicated in the laboratory setting.Due to a variety of clinical conditions such as patient anatomy, endoscope position or progression of disease state, we could not reproduce the actual conditions of product usage during our laboratory analysis.This limits our ability to conclusively determine a cause.In the additional information provided, it is unknown if lubrication was applied to the balloon prior to advancement through the endoscope.A possible contributing factor to balloon material damage is failure to lubricate the balloon with a lubricating agent.The instructions for use direct the user: "apply a lubricating agent to the balloon to facilitate passage through the endoscope accessory channel." this activity will aid in endoscopic advancement and balloon preservation.In the additional information provided, it is unknown if negative pressure was applied to the balloon prior to advancement through the endoscope.A possible contributing factor to balloon material damage is failure to apply negative pressure to the balloon dilator prior to advancement through the endoscope.The instructions for use direct the user: "to facilitate passage through the endoscope, apply negative pressure to the device." the application of negative pressure will aspirate all residual air from the balloon and ease endoscopic advancement.Negative pressure will also aid in balloon preservation and optimize balloon performance.Damage to the balloon material can occur if the balloon is inflated prior to advancement through the endoscope or if the balloon is inflated while partially or fully inside the accessory channel of the endoscope.The instructions for use contain the following precaution: ¿do not pre-inflate the balloon.¿ the instructions for use direct the user: "maintain balloon deflation with negative pressure and introduce into endoscope accessory channel, advancing in short increments until balloon is completely visualized endoscopically." the instructions for use contain the following warning: ¿during dilation, do not inflate balloon beyond the maximum indicated inflation pressure.¿ over inflation can cause damage to the balloon dilator.Another possible contributing factor is using a compromised inflation device to inflate the balloon.If the pressure reading of the inflation device is inaccurate, this could contribute to over inflation, possibly resulting in damage to the balloon material.Prior to distribution, all hercules 3 stage wireguided balloon esophageal-pyloric-colonic are subjected to a visual examination to ensure device integrity.A review of the device history record confirmed that the lot said to be involved met all manufacturing requirements prior to shipment.Corrective action: a review of the complaint history was conducted.The likelihood of occurrence is considered rare.Corrective action is not warranted at this time based on the quality engineering risk assessment.Quality assurance will continue to monitor for complaint trends and reassess the risk assessment results as post market feedback continues to become available.
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