Objective: Epistaxis is a frequent emergency for which guidelines and treatment are well known. Nevertheless few studies have evaluated the factors that may influence the decision for hospitalisation. Through a retrospective study we have searched to define potential factors which lead to taking such a decision.
Methods: Retrospective analysis of charts of 260 patients hospitalized for epistaxis. For each patient we have reviewed several data including, age, associated pathologies, current treatment, duration of the stay, complications, recurrences etc...
Results: If the severity of the bleeding is one of the major factor, socio-economic factors are also taken into account and may influence the decision to hospitalize. Age, associated pathologies (hypertension, hemopathy) and their treatment (anti-coagulant) also play a role in this decision. Furthermore an obvious strategy in the choice of the different treatment may help to reduce the length of stay and the morbidity of each treatment.
Conclusion: We propose some modifications to our strategy to improve the management of epistaxis. This includes the use of endoscopic techniques for diagnosis and treatment.