Epistaxis

November 10, 2015

And we're back, but dammit, we have a nosebleed this week. Blame it on the dry northern Saskatchewan air.

Key points this week:

• These patients are commonly anxious, which makes everything worse: work on reducing their level of anxiety in the office/ED.
• 90% of nosebleeds will resolve with basic first aid: start with basic first aid when you first see them, and teach it to them to save them the trip in the next time it happens.
• If it's recurrent or you can't get it to stop, consider a posterior bleed: these will usually need help from ENT.

Thanks to FMR2 Dr. Isa Saidu for help in developing this topic!