English

Abstract

AIMS: The aim of this study is to analyse the age& sex distribution, etiology and the management of patients presenting with epistaxis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who presented with epistaxis to our department of otorhinolaryngology during the period from March 2012 to March 2014 constituted the study. Detailed history, clinical findings and investigations like blood examination of all patients were recorded. Management whether conservative or surgical was also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients who presented with epistaxis were considered for this study. The commonest age group involved was 51-60 years with male preponderance (72%).Bleeding was more common from both nostrils in our study. The commonest etiology was hypertension (47.1%) followed by trauma (13.4%) and deviated nasal septum (9%). Non-surgical modality of treatment was resorted to in majority of the cases. Anterior nasal packing was done in 48 patients while both anterior and posterior nasal packing were required in 13.5% of the cases. Surgical intervention was needed in 4% of the cases. CONCLUSION: Epistaxis is a common emergency in otolaryngology. Each case tends to present different challenges and success depends on timely and effective intervention by the attending otolaryngologist. This study supports the clinical usefulness of conservative management in treatment of patients with epistaxis.