From
Colorectal Channel
How to Change Your Child’s MiniACE Balloon Device
hosted by Dr. Justine Gagnon
Chapter 1 of 5 · Patient & Family Education
Introduction
Introduction and Safety Precautions
Expert statements on this page
No expert statements were drawn from this page.
Host summaries · secondary, not cited in answers
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
Podcast
Long-term obstetric and gynecologic care for patients with anorectal malformations
21 min · Published Sep 2026
Podcast
Post-pubertal gynecologic evaluation and management of patients with anorectal malformations
22 min · Published Sep 2026
Podcast
Pre-pubertal gynecologic evaluation and management of patients with anorectal malformations
23 min · Published Sep 2026
Podcast
Methods of gynecologic evaluation for patients with anorectal malformations
21 min · Published Sep 2026
Podcast
Gynecologic care in patients with anorectal malformations: A primer and call to action
18 min · Published Sep 2026
Podcast
Evaluation and Management of Postsurgical Patient With Hirschsprung Disease Neurogastroenterology & Motility Committee: Position Paper of North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
17 min · Published Sep 2026
What the experts said
The Mini-ACE device is used to perform a daily colon flush in pediatric patients.
Parents should only change the Mini-ACE device if instructed to do so by the child's medical team.
Required supplies include a 5ml slip tip syringe, tap water, water-soluble lubrication gel, and the Mini-ACE device kit.
Sterile water is prepared by boiling about a cup of tap water and allowing it to cool to room temperature.
The blue stylet is inserted into the irrigation port of the new Mini-ACE device to make the tube stiffer during insertion.
A pea-sized amount of water-soluble lubrication gel is applied to the end of the Mini-ACE device to facilitate insertion.
The Mini-ACE balloon contains 2ml of sterile water when inflated.
To deflate the balloon, an empty 5ml syringe is connected to the balloon port and the plunger is pulled back until resistance is felt, indicating the balloon is empty.
After balloon deflation, the old Mini-ACE device can be gently pulled back and removed from the Malone tract.
The new Mini-ACE device is inserted into the Malone site while holding it firmly in place.
The blue stylet is removed from the irrigation port after device insertion.
The balloon is inflated by connecting a pre-filled syringe with 2ml sterile water to the balloon port and pushing the plunger.
The plunger of the syringe should be kept pushed down while removing it from the balloon port after inflation.
After balloon inflation, the device should be gently tugged to verify that the balloon is secure in the tract.
If unable to deflate the balloon, the balloon port should be cleaned with a cotton swab to remove blocking substances.
If balloon deflation remains unsuccessful after cleaning the port, the colorectal nursing team should be contacted.
If unable to reinsert the Mini-ACE device, the colorectal nursing team should be contacted to discuss next steps.