Use of Foley Catheter Instead of Digital Rectal Examination for Detection of Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Infants and Children

A digital rectal examination is a highly important procedure carried out on infants and children during visits to the gastroenterology clinic, but is often accompanied with physiologic and psychologic trauma in patients, along with being diagnostically inaccurate in the results obtained from it. In order to avoid causing discomfort to the patients, and to improve the accuracy of the results obtained from a DRE, we have articulated a much safer and more precise method of conducting the examination. The use of a 16 French Foley Catheter in the collection of stool samples during a DRE has proved to be an innovative technique, which eliminates discomfort in patients, provides a less stressful environment for both the physician and the family of the patient, along with providing unambiguous results for the FOBT. The use of this technique will not only produce accurate results, but will also eliminate reasons to avoid such an important examination due to the uncomfortable situation a normal DRE would cause.