Managing blocked foley catheter balloons when removing posterior nasal packs in epistaxis patients

In emergency otolaryngology, Foley catheters are often used to stop posterior epistaxis. Foley catheter balloons are prone to blockage, and this has been described in the literature since they were first introduced. There are numerous causes of a none-deflating Foley catheter balloon. These include blockage of the internal lumen with salt crystals, failure in the valve, or most commonly in epistaxis patients, crushing of the lumen due to the pressure of an umbilical clip. In the context of urinary catheters, there are many techniques described that may offer safe resolution of this complication. These techniques are not appropriate to use in the context of nasal packing. Only one article is currently available to help with this problem. We describe a simple, safe, and effective way of deflating a catheter balloon that may be performed by any member of the medical team regardless of previous otolaryngology experience.