Abstract
To the Editor:— Catheterization of the urinary bladder is such a commonly practiced procedure in medicine that everyone eventually is faced with one or more of its accompanying complications. An uncommon, but perplexing problem is the indwelling catheter that cannot be removed, because the balloon will not decompress by the usual method of aspiration. One then might be tempted to inject more water until the balloon breaks. However this can produce even further complications. A simple solution to this problem is to inject 0.5 cc of ether into the inflation duct leading to the balloon. Immediately a painless pop will occur within the bladder and the catheter is then easily withdrawn. Discomfort or other adverse sequelae have not occurred with this procedure in five clinical situations. No apparent obstruction was found in any of the removed catheters. Possibly, a small bit of debris acted as a ball valve inside the
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
