Novel hemostatic nephrostomy tube.

Significant hemorrhage from the access site is an infrequent complication of percutaneous renal surgery. We developed a novel nephrostomy tube that combines the benefits of the re-entry Malecot design with those of the Kaye tamponade catheter. The new nephrostomy tube was successful in preventing significant bleeding in high-risk patients who had this tube placed after percutaneous nephrostolithomy. All of the patients tolerated the tube without complications. Preliminary results show that this tube is easy to insert, well tolerated by patients, and effective in preventing and stopping bleeding from a percutaneous access site and that it maintains ureteral access.