The use of balloon catheters in the treatement of epistaxis

Abstract

Inflatable balloon catheters are widely used in the treatment of severe epistaxis and are designed to be filled either with air or liquid. A postal survery revealed that 87 per cent of respondents used an inflantant which was deemed inappropriate by the manufacaturer. When ballons designed for water or saline were filled with air, they defalted rapidly, in some cases beings virtually empty after 24 hours. Better and more accessible instruction leaflets are required if the balloons are to be used as intended.Foley catheters are frwquently used as nasopharyngeal packs, in conjunction with anterior nasal packs. Paraffin in the commonly used anterior packs damages the rubber of the catheter, resulting in the balolon bursting. This should be recognized by clinicans as a possible cause of rebleeding.