Noyes Nasal Dressing Forceps — Pack-Placement Tool

Noyes Nasal Dressing Forceps — Nasal Pack Placement

The Noyes nasal dressing forceps is a long, slim, angled forceps designed for the placement of nasal packing material — ribbon gauze impregnated with BIPP, Merocel sponges, or Floseal-injected balloons — into the nasal cavity for epistaxis control or post-surgical haemostasis. The Noyes pattern differs from the Heymann-Knight by being lighter and finer, sized specifically for the packing function rather than the dual-function bite of the Heymann-Knight.

The packing technique

Patient sitting forward → blood and clot cleared by suction → speculum placed → Noyes forceps loaded with BIPP ribbon → ribbon folded into concertina pleats from posterior to anterior along the nasal floor → ribbon continued upward filling the nasal cavity → final end taped to the cheek. The Noyes’s slim profile lets the operator place pleats without scraping the lateral nasal wall, which is the technique detail that determines whether the pack holds for 48 hours or has to be re-done at 24.

Why a dedicated dressing forceps

Using a Hartmann-pattern forceps to place packing crushes the ribbon and reduces the BIPP-suspension contact with the nasal mucosa; the Noyes light-grip preserves the ribbon’s fibre structure and the antiseptic delivery.