diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+0.10.1.0
+--------
+
+- Fix issue with empty binary values (https://github.com/haskellari/postgresql-libpq/issues/54)
+
 0.10.0.0
 --------
 
diff --git a/postgresql-libpq.cabal b/postgresql-libpq.cabal
--- a/postgresql-libpq.cabal
+++ b/postgresql-libpq.cabal
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cabal-version:      2.4
 name:               postgresql-libpq
-version:            0.10.0.0
+version:            0.10.1.0
 synopsis:           low-level binding to libpq
 description:
   This is a binding to libpq: the C application
@@ -24,7 +24,14 @@
 build-type:         Custom
 extra-source-files: cbits/hs-libpq.h
 tested-with:
-  GHC ==8.6.5 || ==8.8.4 || ==8.10.7 || ==9.0.2 || ==9.2.7 || ==9.4.4 || ==9.6.1
+  GHC ==8.6.5
+   || ==8.8.4
+   || ==8.10.7
+   || ==9.0.2
+   || ==9.2.8
+   || ==9.4.8
+   || ==9.6.5
+   || ==9.8.2
 
 extra-source-files: CHANGELOG.md
 
@@ -65,10 +72,11 @@
     Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Marshal
     Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Notify
     Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Oid
+    Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Ptr
 
   build-depends:
-    , base        >=4.12.0.0 && <4.19
-    , bytestring  >=0.10.8.2 && <0.12
+    , base        >=4.12.0.0 && <4.20
+    , bytestring  >=0.10.8.2 && <0.13
 
   if !os(windows)
     build-depends: unix >=2.7.2.2 && <2.9
@@ -107,6 +115,8 @@
     , base
     , bytestring
     , postgresql-libpq
+    , tasty             ^>=1.5
+    , tasty-hunit       ^>=0.10.1
 
 source-repository head
   type:     git
diff --git a/src/Database/PostgreSQL/LibPQ.hs b/src/Database/PostgreSQL/LibPQ.hs
--- a/src/Database/PostgreSQL/LibPQ.hs
+++ b/src/Database/PostgreSQL/LibPQ.hs
@@ -238,6 +238,7 @@
 import Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Marshal
 import Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Notify
 import Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Oid
+import Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Ptr
 
 -- $dbconn
 -- The following functions deal with making a connection to a
@@ -662,10 +663,13 @@
 -- * 'ByteString' uses pinned memory
 -- * the reference to the 'CString' doesn't escape
 unsafeUseParamAsCString :: (B.ByteString, Format) -> (CString -> IO a) -> IO a
-unsafeUseParamAsCString (bs, format) =
+unsafeUseParamAsCString (bs, format) kont =
     case format of
-        Binary -> B.unsafeUseAsCString bs
-        Text   -> B.useAsCString bs
+        Binary -> B.unsafeUseAsCStringLen bs kont'
+        Text   -> B.useAsCString bs kont
+  where
+    kont' (ptr, 0) = if ptr == nullPtr then kont emptyPtr else kont ptr
+    kont' (ptr, _) = kont ptr
 
 -- | Convert a list of parameters to the format expected by libpq FFI calls.
 withParams :: [Maybe (Oid, B.ByteString, Format)]
diff --git a/src/Database/PostgreSQL/LibPQ/Ptr.hs b/src/Database/PostgreSQL/LibPQ/Ptr.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Database/PostgreSQL/LibPQ/Ptr.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE MagicHash #-}
+module Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ.Ptr (emptyPtr) where
+
+import GHC.Ptr (Ptr (..))
+
+emptyPtr :: Ptr a
+emptyPtr = Ptr ""#
diff --git a/test/Smoke.hs b/test/Smoke.hs
--- a/test/Smoke.hs
+++ b/test/Smoke.hs
@@ -1,17 +1,24 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
 module Main (main) where
 
-import Control.Monad (unless)
+import Control.Monad             (unless)
+import Data.Foldable             (toList)
 import Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ
-import Data.Foldable (toList)
-import System.Environment (getEnvironment)
-import System.Exit (exitFailure)
+import System.Environment        (getEnvironment)
+import System.Exit               (exitFailure)
+import Test.Tasty                (defaultMain, testGroup)
+import Test.Tasty.HUnit          (assertEqual, testCaseSteps)
 
+import qualified Data.ByteString       as BS
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as BS8
 
 main :: IO ()
 main = do
     libpqVersion >>= print
-    withConnstring smoke
+    withConnstring $ \connString -> defaultMain $ testGroup "postgresql-libpq"
+        [ testCaseSteps "smoke" $ smoke connString
+        , testCaseSteps "issue54" $ issue54 connString
+        ]
 
 withConnstring :: (BS8.ByteString -> IO ()) -> IO ()
 withConnstring kont = do
@@ -35,21 +42,48 @@
         , "port=5432"
         ]
 
-smoke :: BS8.ByteString -> IO ()
-smoke connstring = do
+smoke :: BS8.ByteString -> (String -> IO ()) -> IO ()
+smoke connstring info = do
+    let infoShow x = info (show x)
+
     conn <- connectdb connstring
 
     -- status functions
-    db conn                >>= print
-    user conn              >>= print
-    host conn              >>= print
-    port conn              >>= print
-    status conn            >>= print
-    transactionStatus conn >>= print
-    protocolVersion conn   >>= print
-    serverVersion conn     >>= print
+    db conn                >>= infoShow
+    user conn              >>= infoShow
+    host conn              >>= infoShow
+    port conn              >>= infoShow
+    status conn            >>= infoShow
+    transactionStatus conn >>= infoShow
+    protocolVersion conn   >>= infoShow
+    serverVersion conn     >>= infoShow
 
     s <- status conn
-    unless (s == ConnectionOk) exitFailure
+    assertEqual "connection not ok" ConnectionOk s
 
     finish conn
+
+issue54 :: BS8.ByteString -> (String -> IO ()) -> IO ()
+issue54 connString info = do
+    conn <- connectdb connString
+
+    Just result <- execParams conn
+        "SELECT ($1 :: bytea), ($2 :: bytea)"
+        [Just (Oid 17,"",Binary), Just (Oid 17,BS.empty,Binary)]
+        Binary
+    s <- resultStatus result
+    assertEqual "result status" TuplesOk s
+
+    -- ntuples result >>= info . show
+    -- nfields result >>= info . show
+
+    null1 <- getisnull result 0 0
+    null2 <- getisnull result 0 1
+    assertEqual "fst not null" False null1
+    assertEqual "snd not null" False null2
+
+    Just val1 <- getvalue result 0 0
+    Just val2 <- getvalue result 0 1
+
+    assertEqual "fst not null" BS.empty val1
+    assertEqual "snd not null" BS.empty val2