| Summary: | <strong>Background:</strong> Autoinflation balloons are used to treat patients with otitis media with effusion to help avoid surgery.
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<strong>Aim:</strong> To compare the ability of party balloons and Otovent® balloons to produce sufficient pressure for a Valsalva manoeuvre.
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<strong>Design and setting:</strong> We used pressure testing to determine the number of times each balloon could produce pressures sufficient for a Valsalva manoeuvre. Subsequently, we compared Otovent® balloons with spherical party balloons in a pilot clinical trial of 12 healthy adults.
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<strong>Methods:</strong> Each balloon was inflated 20 times and the maximum pressure was recorded. Three balloons of each type were tested to 50 inflations to assess pressures over persistent use.
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<strong>Results:</strong> Otovent® balloons mean inflation pressure was 93mmHg (95% CI 89-97mmHg) on first inflation, dropping to 83mmHg (95% CI 80-86mmHg) after 20 inflations. Two types of spherical party balloon required mean inflation pressures of 84mmHg (95% CI 77-90mmHg) and 108mmHg (95% CI 97-119mmHg) on first inflation, dropping to 74mmHg (95% CI 68-81mmHg) and 83mmHg (95% CI 77-88mmHg) after 20 inflations. In the pilot trial, there was no difference between the ability of Otovent® and spherical balloons (χ2=0.24, p=0.89) to produce the sensation of a Valsalva manoeuvre.
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong> Otovent® balloons can be used more than the 20 times quoted by the manufacturer. The two spherical balloons produced similar pressures to Otovent® balloons, indicating potentially the same clinical effect. The pilot study suggests a potential use of spherical party balloons instead of Otovent® balloons as a cost-efficient treatment.
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