Factors associated with age at diagnosis of breast cancer.

Right heart catheterisation using a flow-directed, balloon-tipped catheter has become almost standard practice in the management of patients with acute cardiovascular and respiratory failure and is one of the reasons for the high cost of treating the critically ill. While some balloon catheters are designed for single use only, the Edwards Laboratories balloon flotation catheters may be resterilised with ethylene oxide and reused, thereby reducing costs. Compared with new catheters resterilised catheters are less rigid and have an increased incidence of balloon rupture. Without the balloon tip the catheter cannot be floated easily into the pulmonary artery and pulmonary arterial occlusion pressures cannot be measured. To determine the optimum number of times these catheters could be sterilised and reused before the balloon ruptured we resterilised with ethylene oxide 50 consecutive flow-directed balloon tipped catheters and used them until the balloon finally ruptured.