Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33589466›Full record

ArticleBJGP open2021

Can party balloons replace autoinflation balloons to treat glue ear? A technical comparison.

Katherine Marshall, Rafael Perera, Paul Glasziou, Susannah Fleming

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BJGP open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Katherine MarshallMedical School, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Rafael PereraNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Paul GlasziouFaculty of Health Sciences & Medicine, Bond University, Robina, QLD, Australia.
Susannah FlemingNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK susannah.fleming@phc.ox.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAutoinflation balloons are used to treat patients with otitis media with effusion (OME) to help avoid surgery.

aimTo compare the ability of party balloons with Otovent balloons to produce sufficient pressure for a Valsalva manoeuvre. DESIGN &

settingPressure testing was used to determine the number of times each balloon could produce pressures sufficient for a Valsalva manoeuvre. Subsequently, Otovent balloons were compared with spherical party balloons in a pilot clinical trial of 12 healthy adults.

methodEach 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.

resultsOtovent balloons' mean inflation pressure was 93 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI] = 89 to 97 mmHg) on first inflation, dropping to 83 mmHg (95% CI = 80 to 86 mmHg) after 20 inflations. Two types of spherical party balloon required mean inflation pressures of 84 mmHg (95% CI = 77 to 90 mmHg) and 108 mmHg (95% CI = 97 to 119 mmHg) on first inflation, dropping to 74 mmHg (95% CI = 68 to 81 mmHg) and 83 mmHg (95% CI = 77 to 88 mmHg) after 20 inflations. In the pilot trial, there was no difference between the ability of Otovent and spherical balloons (χ

conclusionOtovent 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.

Indexed as

general practiceotitis media with effusionpediatricsprimary health careValsalva maneuver

Identifiers

PMID33589466
PMCPMC8278505

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.