Consenso de epistaxis en pediatría: causas, clínica y tratamiento / Consensus on pediatrics epistaxis: Causes, clinic and treatment

Se define la epistaxis como el sangrado proveniente del vestíbulo, la cavidad nasal o la nasofaringe. Representa el 3 % de las consultas de guardia. El 30 % de los niños menores de 5 años presentan, al menos, un episodio de epistaxis. La edad media de presentación es entre los 7,5 y los 8,5 años. Predomina en el sexo masculino (el 56-67 %). La rinorrea es el síntoma más frecuentemente asociado (el 46 %). El origen puede ser anterior o posterior, y las anteriores son las más frecuentes. Es necesario un enfoque integral para determinar la etiología (primaria o secundaria). Los principales objetivos del tratamiento son el control de la hemorragia, de la causa subyacente y la prevención de la recurrencia.La mayoría de las hemorragias son autolimitadas; sin embargo, el taponamiento nasal y la cauterización son requeridos ante casos recurrentes o graves. Cuando estas técnicas fracasan, puede utilizarse un manejo endoscópico, angiografía-embolización y ligadura quirúrgica abierta

Epistaxis is defined as bleeding from the vestibule, nasal cavity or nasopharynx. It represents 3 % of Emergency Room consultations. Thirty per cent of children under 5 years of age have an episode of epistaxis. The average age of presentation is between 7.5 and 8.5 years. It predominates in males (56-67 %). Nasal obstruction (nasal discharge) is the most associated symptom (46 %). The origin can be anterior or posterior, with the previous ones being the most frequent. An integral approach is necessary to determine the etiology (primary or secondary). The main purposes of the treatment are bleeding control and the underlying cause and the prevention of recurrence. Most hemorrhages are self-limiting; however, nasal tamponade and cauterization are required in cases of recurrence and/or severity. When these techniques fail, endoscopic management, angiography-embolization, and open surgical ligation may be used.

An update on epistaxis.

BACKGROUND: Epistaxis is one of the most common ear, nose and throat (ENT) emergencies to present to general practitioners (GPs). The management of epistaxis has evolved significantly in recent years, including the use of nasal cautery and packs. Successful treatment requires knowledge of nasal anatomy, and potential risks and complications of treatment. OBJECTIVE: Epistaxis is often a simple and readily treatable condition. However, given the potential consequences of a significant bleed, GPs should have an understanding of the causes, potential risks and emergency management. DISCUSSION: Epistaxis can be classified into anterior or posterior bleeds, the former being the most common. Anterior bleeds can often be treated with cauterisation with silver nitrate sticks, provided there is good preparation, correct equipment and assistance close at hand. If there is a lack in any of these aspects, prompt use of nasal packing and referral to an emergency department or a specialist ENT service is recommended.

A new endoscopic staging system for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is predominantly characterized by nasal telangiectases that cause severe epistaxis. Recently, the Epistaxis Severity Score (ESS) was developed and validated as a standardized measurement to evaluate epistaxis treatment efficacy. We propose a new endoscopic staging system to characterize nasal findings in HHT patients and correlate this to the ESS. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study. A total of 33 individuals with HHT confirmed by Curaçao criteria were recruited and evaluated by a single otolaryngologist between August 2010 and February 2013. Endoscopic parameters including patterns and sites of telangiectases and degree of nasal crusting were used to construct an endoscopy score for each subject. Multiple linear regression models were used to correlate this endoscopy score to the ESS. RESULTS: A total of 33 subjects completed the study. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 50.3 ± 13.2 years, and 20 (60.6%) were female. In the cohort, mean ± SD ESS was 4.05 ± 2.13 (range, 0.50 to 8.22). Most subjects (53.1%) had more than 4 nasal sites involved and (56.2%) had punctate telangiectases; 30.3% had mild crusting and 21.2% had moderate/severe crusting. These endoscopic findings were weighted by their correlation coefficients against epistaxis severity and normalized to create a new endoscopy score. After adjusting for confounding variables, the HHT Endoscopy Score (HES) was strongly associated with the ESS (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The HES correlates highly with patient-reported epistaxis severity and may provide a useful outcome measure in future studies.

A comparison of nasal trauma in preterm infants extubated to either heated humidified high-flow nasal cannulae or nasal continuous positive airway pressure.

UNLABELLED: The objectives of this study were (1) to devise a nasal trauma score for preterm infants receiving non-invasive respiratory support, (2) to compare the incidence of nasal trauma in preterm infants <32 weeks gestation randomised to either nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) or heated humidified high-Flow nasal cannulae (HHHFNC), in the first 7 days post-extubation and (3) to assess the effect of two different nasal dressings in those assigned to NCPAP. We randomly assigned preterm ventilated infants to receive Vapotherm® HHHFNC or NCPAP post-extubation. Infants receiving HHHFNC were treated with Sticky Whiskers® and infants receiving NCPAP received either Sticky Whiskers® or Cannualaide® nasal dressings. Bedside nursing staff scored six sites on each infant's nose for erythema, bleeding or ulceration. Scores were recorded three times daily for the first 7 days post-extubation. The sum of these 21 scores was used as the summary measure of nasal trauma. The mean nasal trauma score for infants assigned HHHFNC was 2.8 (SD 5.7) compared to 11.7 for NCPAP (SD 10.4), p < 0.001. There was no difference in mean trauma score between infants on NCPAP assigned Sticky Whiskers® 14.4 (SD 12.5) or Cannualaide® 9.5 (SD 7.3), p = 0.06. CONCLUSION: HHHFNC resulted in significantly less nasal trauma in the first 7 days post-extubation than NCPAP and was most significant in infants <28 weeks of gestation. The use of protective dressings was not associated with decreased nasal trauma for infants on NCPAP.

The Wexham Criteria: defining severe epistaxis to select patients requiring sphenopalatine artery ligation.

This study aims to provide guidance regarding patient selection and timing of intervention with sphenopalatine artery (SPA) ligation by defining 'severe epistaxis'. An analysis of all patients undergoing SPA ligation (January 2002-2010) was performed. SPA ligation was deemed necessary if at least one of the four identified criteria was fulfilled. The same analysis was also performed on all patients admitted with epistaxis who did not undergo SPA ligation over a 6-month period. All 27 patients who underwent SPA ligation met at least one of the criteria selected. Uncontrolled epistaxis (21/27) was fulfilled most often. In comparison, only 4/71 patients admitted with epistaxis who did not undergo SPA ligation fulfilled any single criterion. All criteria were satisfied in a significantly higher number of cases in the SPA group (p < 0.001) The criteria studied proved helpful in identifying patients admitted to hospital with epistaxis who had failed conservative measures.

Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial of Ankaferd Blood Stopper in patients with acute anterior epistaxis.

This is a study evaluating the efficacy of Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) as a hemostatic agent compared to hemostasis by phenylephrine in patients with anterior epistaxis. The study design is a prospective, randomized, controlled, nonblinded, clinical trial. In total, 49 patients were randomly seperated to receive hemostasis technique by means of either ABS wet tampon or phenylephrine impregnated gauze tampon for anterior epistaxis control. Patients were crossed over to the other technique after two unsuccessful attempts of the first technique. Measured outcomes such as number of applications, relationship of number of applications with bleeding intensity (1 = stains on napkin, 2 = soaked napkin, 3 = bowl needed), patient discomfort during hemostasis (0 = none, 9 = unbearable), and complications were assessed. Additional data were recorded for rebleeding within 7 days. 24 of the 49 patients were assigned to the new ABS group (group I) and remaining 25 were included in the standard phenylephrine group (group II). ABS was more effective than phenylephrine at control of anterior epistaxis (79.2 vs. 64%, p < 0.05). For the patients who crossed over from phenylephrine to ABS, 44.4% achieved hemostasis by ABS. ABS successfully treated all bleeding intensity 1 and 2 patients with one application (5 min). ABS patients experienced fewer rebleeding rates within 7 days compared to phenylephrine patients (8.3 vs. 20%, p < 0.05). The patients for which ABS was applied, significant differences in effective control of anterior epistaxis were observed compared to phenylephrine. ABS is effective, safe, quick, and easy alternative to the phenylephrine in patients with anterior epistaxis.

A grading scale for epistaxis in hereditary haemorrhagic teleangectasia.

BACKGROUND: Epistaxis is the most common symptom in patients with Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT). Different institutions are using different treatment modalities and different grading systems. The treatment options depend on the grade of epistaxis. It is important to have a common grading system to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment options. Furthermore, it is important to correlate quality of life with an epistaxis grading system. The aim of this work was to propose a new grading system for epistaxis in HHT. METHODS: A medical literature search was performed for grading systems of epistaxis in HHT. A questionnaire on five criteria's for a new grading system was sent to 22 internationally renowned medical experts, who have published results on epistaxis in HHT. RESULTS: Four different grading systems are currently in use for the grading of epistaxis in HHT. The response rate of the questionnaire was 43%. All the experts who answered the questionnaire agreed that the aimed grading system should be easy to understand for the patients. 90% of them wanted the system to focus on a definite time period. 70% answered that blood transfusion should be included in the grading system as an important factor. There was no clear consensus on whether the system should be a single multi-item scale or a composite scale consisting of more than one single scales, and similarly there was no clear consensus on whether is should be an absolute or a relative scale. CONCLUSION: The proposed system should be easy to understand for the patients, focus on a definite time period of observation, and include blood transfusion as one of its parameters. For statistical reasons, an epistaxis grading scale with at least one absolute end point would be preferable.

Epistaxis / Epistaxis

La epistaxis, problema de frecuente manejo en atención primaria, suele ser un proceso banal y autolimitado, aunque aveces puede ser difícil de controlar e incluso, comprometer el estado general del paciente. En este artículo el autor enumerasus principales causas y las indicación de estudios complementarios. Además, busca conocer la evidencia actualsobre las diferentes opciones de tratamiento en niños y adultos, en el consultorio y/o sala de emergencias, así como lanecesidad de consulta con el especialista. Se detallan los pasos a seguir para su control efectivo mediante el taponamientonasal y/o la cauterización química o eléctrica. Por último, se detallan las indicaciones generales al alta delpaciente.

Anemia de Fanconi tipo Estren-Damashek / Anemia Fanconi type Estren-Damashek

Se presenta el caso de un niño de 12 años con astenia, adinamia y pérdida de peso de 2 meses de evolución, acompañado de petequias y un episodio de epistaxis no relacionado con traumatismo. La demostración de anemia aplásica sumado a la rotura cromosómica inducida por agentes clastrógenos (diepoxibutano) permitió el diagnóstico de Anemia de Fanconi (AF), que ante la falta de anormalidades físicas congénitas se clasificó como tipo Estren-Damashek, una variante muy inusual de este tipo de anemia

Epistaxis: consideraciones generales y manejo clínico / Epistaxis: general considerations and clinical management

La epistaxis es un signo clínico extremadamente frecuente y una preocupación constante para el médico en los servicios de urgencia, pudiendo presentarse tanto en niños como en adultos, con una mayor incidencia entre los 10 y 13 años, y en la población mayor de 50. La importancia deriva de su frecuencia y de su potencial gravedad, ya que puede llevar a alteraciones hemodinámicas, que requieren incluso hospitalización. De ahí, la necesidad de conocer la irrigación nasal y los diferentes métodos para cohibir todo tipo de hemorragia, siendo además importante tratar de buscar la causa que la produce, para asegurar un tratamiento eficaz. En este artículo se presenta su clasificación y se explican algunos procedimientos para solucionar el problema, no olvidando que se trata de un signo y no de una enfermedad.

[Epistaxis: prospective study on emergency care at the hospital level]. / Epistaxis: estudio prospectivo sobre la atención urgente a nivel hospitalario.

We prospectively studied 279 patients with epistaxis referred to ENT specialist from emergency room in our hospital in one year. Masculine sex (62%), medium or old ages (median 56 year), and associated diseases (HBP 22.9%, anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs 11.1%), were the most common. Predominant local etiologic factors were trauma (12.9%) and inflammation (14%). Epistaxis had been essential in 36.9%. The most frequent location in all ages was the anterior one, especially located in the Kiesselbach's area, although the incidence of the posterior epistaxis increases in characteristic way from fourth decade, affecting more to men. Most of epistaxis (> 99%) were treated successfully by conservative approach and only two patients required surgical or interventional therapy. Patients between 30-59 year and the posterior epistaxis was the most refractory to the treatment. Hospitalized patients were older than ambulatory ones and had more associated diseases. Their average hospital stay was 9.2 days.

Epistaxe severa: cirurgia micro endoscópica / Severe epistaxis: micro endoscopic surgery

A epistaxe é uma condiçäo freqüente na populaçäo em geral, sendo que a maioria é leve, com resoluçäo espontânea ou através de pequenos procedimentos. A epistaxe severa ocorre mais freqüentemente em adultos e pode ser resultante de trauma, tumores, doenças hereditárias, coagulopatias, malformaçöes vasculares e, principalmente, de causa desconhecida. As principais artérias envolvidas na epistaxe severa säo os ramos terminais da artéria maxilar e as artérias etmoidais anterior e posterior. No período de 1985-1998, 173 pacientes foram tratados cirurgicamente, utilizando-se a técnica micro-endoscópica transnasal e/ou por acesso externo, com alto índice de sucesso e baixo de morbidade