|
|
The first treatment is to pinch the nostrils together, sit forward and stay that way for 5-10 minutes. Bleeding that continues will be from the back of the nose and will flow down the throat. If that happens, emergency intervention is needed.
As an emergency procedure, the nose will be packed front and/or back with cotton cloth and a rubber balloon. This is not comfortable. Having no place to flow, the blood should clot, giving the ear, nose and throat specialists (otorhinolaryngologists) a chance to find the source and permanently repair it. If the packing has to remain for any length of time, antibiotics and pain medication will be necessary—antibiotics because the sinuses will be plugged up and prone to infection. Nose packing may so interfere with breathing that the patient will need supplemental oxygen.
Many bleeds are from small exposed blood vessels with no other disease. They can be destroyed by cautery (burning with electricity or chemicals). Larger vessels may not respond to cautery. The surgeon may have to tie them off.
— J. Ricker Polsdorfer, MD
