Abstract
Introduction: Epistaxis is a common problem that ranges from a minor nuisance to a life-threatening emergency. Multiple modalities exist to treat anterior and posterior bleeding and sometimes more than one treatment must be used. Otolaryngologists must be prepared to deal with severe or refractory bleeding through the use of medications, packing materials, and radiologic or surgical interventions.
Methods: This study is a descriptive prospective study that started with 137 patients presented with recurrent epistaxis selected to analyszes etiology and different methods of interventions in management, during the period from January 2016 to June 2017 at Sohag University Hospital.
Results: The mean age of patients in our study was 42.1 years, with a little male predominance (53%) and 62% of cases had unilateral bleeding. Regarding the cause of epistaxis, 35,77% of cases of had general causes; 27,01% had local causes; 5,11% had amedication-related bleeding and 32,12% were idiopathic.
Regarding management, 48.88% of cases showed a response to anterior nasal pack, 30.66%to conservative treatment and 6.75% to sphenopalatine artery ligation.
Conclusion: Recurrent epistaxis in hospitalized patient is a common emergency condition in Otorhino-laryngology; affecting people of any age. Conservative methods; especially nasal packing are effective to arrest epistaxis in most of the patients; especially if the source is anterior bleeding. Surgical intervention is needed in resistant cases.