How Well do You Know Nosebleed Management? – Interactive Quiz

February 14, 2020

Nosebleed (Epistaxis) Guidelines

I was looking through some new guidelines that were recently published and there was a new guideline on the management of nosebleeds (epistaxis). This guideline is well written with practical tips for all healthcare professionals (including patient FAQ’s).  You can download it at:

This is a topic that is rarely covered in continuing education programs and I wasn’t overly familiar with the guideline-recommended treatment.  So I thought I would do an interactive quiz.  I hope you like it.

Nosebleed Interactive Quiz (17 T/F Questions)

1. About 90% of people will have at least one point in their life

2. About 6% of people who experience nosebleeds will seek medical attention

3. Nosebleeds are more common in children and the elderly.

4. About 3 in 4 children have nosebleeds.  This is most commonly caused by nose picking, crusting from nasal inflammation, or nasal foreign bodies.

5. Hypertension is known to cause nose bleeds.

6. Nosebleeds are a minor nuisance and are thought to have minimal impact on the person and his/her family.

7. The prompt treatment of nose bleeds involves compression on the upper one third of the nose for up to a maximum of 5 minutes.

8. Nasal packing is recommended for patients who don't respond to nasal compression.

9. If a patient experiences a nosebleed and is taking apixaban, nasal packing should be used.

10. Risk factors for nose bleeds include family history of nosebleed, ASA use and intranasal corticosteroid use.

11. Chronic kidney disease or liver disease increases the risk of nosebleeds.

12. If packing is used, it should be left in for at least 10 days.

13. Nasal packing can cause cold like symptoms.

14. Nasal saline may help to reduce nosebleeds.

15. Patients with a nosebleed should lean backwards when pinching their nose.

16. Oxymetazoline can be used to help slow a nosebleed.

17. If a nosebleed doesn't stop after 5 minutes, a patient should be referred to an emergency room


 

Reference

Tunkel, David E., Samantha Anne, Spencer C. Payne, Stacey L. Ishman, Richard M. Rosenfeld, Peter J. Abramson, Jacqueline D. Alikhaani, et al. “Clinical Practice Guideline: Nosebleed (Epistaxis).” Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery 162, no. 1_suppl (January 2020): S1–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599819890327.