How to Care for Your Child’s MiniACE Balloon Device

Hi, I'm Justine Gagnon, and I'm a nurse with the division of Colorectal and Pelvic reconstruction at Children's National Hospital. I'm here today to teach you about caring for your child's mini AceCE balloon device. Before caring for your child's device, always talk with our team or your child's pediatrician for safety. If you're watching this video, it's because your child has had a mini ACE device placed in their malone tract to perform a daily colon flush. Here we will review everyday care measures for your child's device. The goal of this video is to educate and empower you to independently care for your child's mini Ace device at home. You will need the following supplies to clean and care for your child's mini Ace device each day mild soap, a soft washcloth, warm tap water, a bowl, and 2x 2 or 4x4 gauze. It does not need to be sterile gauze, which is much more expensive. Regular gauze is just fine. The first thing you'll want to do is remove any dressing surrounding the mini Ace device. Then gently clean the skin around your child's mini ace with a soft, clean washcloth and warm soapy water. Allow any dried and hard drainage or crusting to soak under the washcloth for a few minutes to soften. Now you can wipe the dried crusting away more easily. Then gently turn the device while cleaning to make sure you are cleaning all the surrounding skin. This will help the skin stay healthy and keep it from getting sore or irritated. Then tap or dab the skin with a dry washcloth to soak up any wetness and allow the area to dry completely. After you have cleaned the skin, if you're worried about drainage or liquid coming from around the mini AC device, you can put a piece of cut gauze underneath the tube to soak up any drainage or moisture. You can bathe and swim with your child's mini Ace device. Bathing is actually a good time to do cleaning of the Malone site. If you notice that there's an increase in drainage or liquid around the mini Ace device, or that the device seems loose, please check the balloon to ensure proper inflation. We have a video on our website that shows you how to check your balloon safely. Celebrate with your child. You've now completed your Mini Ace daily care. If you want more information, please visit the Colorectal Program's website. We have multiple videos and printed resources to help you care for your child. And don't forget, always check with your child's pediatrician or our team when caring for your child's medical needs.