Clinical outcome of patients with epistaxis treated with nasal packing after hospital discharge

Epistaxis is a common clinical condition and in most public hospitals these patients received nasal packing and were admitted to the hospital as initial management strategies. However, little is known about the follow-up of these patients after they leave the hospital. AIM: To identify the clinical outcome of patients treated for epistaxis following discharge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the results of questionnaires from patients hospitalized for non-traumatic epistaxis between March 2006 and March 2007. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort longitudinal. RESULTS: Fifty-four of eighty-seven patients answered (62%). Epistaxis recurred in 37% of the patients. Of the patients who had recurrent bleeding, 70% were hypertensive, 35% were chronic users of acetylsalicylic acid, and 55% used tobacco. Forty per cent of the recurrences occurred in the first week after discharge, and fifty per cent needed to return to the emergency room. Seventy per cent of those who returned to the emergency room required a second treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrence after epistaxis treatment is common and may occur soon after the initial discharge. Although our sample was small, this data suggests the need for a reevaluation of the current treatment mode of patients with epistaxis in the emergency rooms of public hospitals.