Clinical Study of the Hospitalized Epistaxis Patients

Ahn, Byung Hoon; Nam, Sung Il; Kim, Tae Jong; Sohn, Su Gil; Shin, Ho Cheol; Kim, Joong Gahng

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Epistaxis is often regarded as trivial disease, but it may cause serious situation and requires hospital admission. With the advent of nasal endoscopy, localizing the precise location of nasal bleeding is possible in most cases and enables direct treatment rather than simple nasal packing. We analyzed the epistaxis patients who require hospital admission during recent 10 years.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
One hundred and one patients who required hospital admission from January 1990 to December 1999 due to intractable or recurrent epistaxis were included in this study. Records of the hospital admission were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Male patients were predominant (72.1%) and the highest age distribution was in the 50's. Intervals between the initial attack of epistaxis and medical attention was 2-5 days (60.4%). The mean duration of hospital stay was 5-10 days (49.5%). The precise localization of bleeding point was possible in 98 cases (81.6%), whereas some sites of bleeding revealed Little's area (35.0%) and nasal turbinates (28.3%). The most frequent preexisting structural abnormality and systemic illness were nasal septal deviation and hypertension. In hypertension patients, the predominant age distribution was in the 60's (28.6%), and there was no difference in the bleeding frequency and the mode of management.
CONCLUSION
We analyzed the epistaxis patients who required hospitalization. Nasal endoscopy enabled precise localization of the epistaxis and prompt focused management rather than conservative management.