Epistaxis and mortality

Abstract

BackgroundEpistaxis is a common emergency presentation to ENT. The ‘Epistaxis 2016: national audit of management’ collected prospective data over a 30-day audit window in 113 centres. A 30-day all-cause mortality rate of 3.4 per cent was identified. This study examines in more detail the subgroup of patients who died during the audit period.MethodsThere were 985 eligible patients identified. Of these, 33 patients died within the audit period. World Health Organization bleeding score, Modified Early Warning System score, haemostasis time, source of referral, co-morbidities and cause of death were investigated from the dataset.ResultsPatients who died were more likely to come from a ward environment, have co-existing cardiovascular disease, diabetes or a bleeding diathesis, be on antithrombotic medication, or have received a blood transfusion. Patients did not die from exsanguination.ConclusionEpistaxis may be seen as a general marker of poor health and a poor prognostic sign.

Epistaxis: abordaje inicial en el servicio de emergencias

“…Los hombres tienen una probabilidad ligeramente mayor de presentar epistaxis que las mujeres, en pacientes masculinos la prevalencia fue de un 52% (3,7,8). En cuanto a la mortalidad, en un estudio realizado por la Universidad de Cambridge publicado en "The Journal of Laryngology & Otology", se demostró que la mortalidad dentro de los 30 días posteriores al episodio de epistaxis fue de un 3.4%, una cifra levemente mayor a la esperada (9).…”