EPISTAXIS

What is epistaxis?

Acute hemorrhage from the nostril/ nasal cavity/nasopharynx. This common among the children.

What are the common areas?

90% occurs from anterior nose. Most commen site is litle’s area. Because there are 4 arteries anastomose in here. Also bleeding can occur from posterior part of nose,septem and lateral wall.

What are the causes?

• Trauma
• Underlying pathologies
  • Hemophilia
  • Hepatic failure
  • Rhinitis
  • Endometriosis
  • Kidney diseases
  • Hypertension
  • Tumor
• Toxicity
• Irritants
• Medications

First aid for epistaxis?

• Gear
• Lighting
• Positioning
• Basin
• ABCs (A irway, B reathing, and C irculation)
• Stable patients should be instructed to grasp and pinch their entire nose, maintaining continuous pressure for at least 10 minutes.
• Make sure that they compress the soft nose tissues against the nasal septum; pinching the hard, incompressible nasal bones will not aid for hemorrhage control.
• Ice on nasal bridge

After that your doctor will do following procedures

• If a bleeding point is easily identified, gentle chemical cauterization may be performed.after the application of adequate topical anesthesia.
• Thermal cauterization using an electrocautery device is reserved for more aggressive bleeding and is done with the patient under local or general anesthesia.
• If attempts to control hemorrhage with pressure or cauterization fail, the nose should be packed.

You must careful about nasal bleeding because it may be symptom of some serious illness.