Home › Forums › Other Specialities › ENT › EPISTAXIS a guide
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April 8, 2022 at 4:41 pm #3554AnonymousInactive
epistaxis
Epistaxis is one of the commonest presentations at the accident and emergency (A&E) department and is the most common ENT emergency Most cases of nose bleeds are minor or self limiting but rarely can be a life threatening emergency due to massive bleeding
An estimated 60 % of the general population has had at least one episode of epistaxis throughout their life time (2).
out of these only 6% sought medical assistance for it
1.6 in 10,000 required hospitalisation
a bimodal distribution is seen in the population
the incidence peaks at ages less than 10 years and above 50
in the young, the blood comes from Little’s area, a highly vascular area at the anterior border of the nasal septum. With age the site of bleeding moves posteriorly
rare in children under the age of 2 years and if present is often associated with injury or serious illness
seasonal variation can also be seen with an increase during the winter months
occurs frequently in males than in females
the incidence peaks at ages less than 10 years and above 50Epistaxis may be due to local causes or general causes.
Epistaxis is usually classified into two types:
anterior bleeding
posterior bleedingEpistaxis summary
epistaxis is common
an estimated lifetime prevalence in the United States of 60%
approximately 6% of persons who have nosebleeds seek medical attention.
management of epistaxis is straightforward in most cases but can be challenging in patients with cardiovascular disease, impaired coagulation, or platelet dysfunction.
epistaxis is appropriately controlled in a systematic and escalating fashion
initial management
patients in the medical setting are advised to apply digital compression to the lower third of the nose for 15 to 20 minutes, which is followed by anterior rhinoscopy
anterior bleeding can usually be controlled with topical vasoconstrictors, tranexamic acid, cautery, or anterior nasal packing
intranasal tranexamic acid
study evidence found addition of intranasal tranexamic acid to controlled topical therapy of phenylephrine and lidocaine was linked to a lower rate of need for anterior nasal packing, stay in A+E for >2hrs, and rebleeding in 24hrs
continued epistaxis despite these measures requires more aggressive treatment, with the involvement of specialists in otolaryngology and head and neck surgery and, generally, hospital admissionG Mohan.
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