About The Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir (BCIR)
An Appliance-Free Intra-Abdominal Ileostomy
The Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservior (BCIR) is an appliance-free intestinal ostomy. The BCIR itself is a surgically created pouch located on the inside of the abdominal wall made from your small intestine. The pouch’s function is to store intestinal waste, which is drained several times a day by inserting a catheter into a small opening in the abdomen called a stoma. The BCIR can be a life-changing option for patients who have had removal of their large intestine (colon and rectum) in that it creates a new pathway for the evacuation of waste. The BCIR is 100% internal, or intra-abdominal. It’s also 100% appliance free.
Candidates for the procedure are:
- Patients who have problems associated with the conventional (Brooke) ileostomy.
- Patients who have failed continent (Kock) pouch, failed Ileal Pouch Anal Anastomosis (IPAA), J-Pouch, Pull-through or other similar procedures.
- Individuals who have Familial Polyposis (FP), a case of medically unresponsive Ulcerative Colitis, poor anal sphincter control or other conditions precluding their being candidates for the J-Pouch, or those who elect not to have the J-Pouch.
B is for Dr. Barnett, the man who modified the Koch pouch into the BCIR procedure performed today.
C is for Continent, which means the patient is in control of his or her own.
I is for intestinal. The BCIR is made from the patient's small intestine and is located inside the abdominal wall.
R is for reservoir, another word for the pouch that holds the waste.
Our BCIR seminar is a great place to learn all there is to know about the surgery and ask our staff, surgeon, and former patients, our "alumni" any questions. Attend one today...
Meet Our Physician

As a member of the active medical staff at Palms of Pasadena Hospital since 1988, Dr. Ernest Rehnke has a well-established record as a surgeon. He began performing the BCIR ...
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