We recently used a Foley catheter to manage a stab wound to the left anterior neck (zone 1) in a 26 year-old male. Police arrived shortly after the incident but couldn’t stop the bleeding with external compression with gauzes.

After the arrival of the pre-hospital emergency physician, a 16 French Foley catheter was inserted into the wound and the balloon was inflated with 20 ml of saline solution, allowing the bleeding to stop immediately.

Definitive surgical management revealed a 4–5 cm zone 1 neck wound, with injuries to the anterior jugular veins.

External bleeding control is a well-known challenge for both pre-hospital and hospital teams, as illustrated by the military c-ABC approach of trauma patients.

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