Conservative management of epistaxis.

A retrospective study to assess the clinical usefulness of non-surgical management of epistaxis was performed on 340 patients requiring hospitalisation at the ENT Department of La Paz Hospital (Madrid). The previous history, type of management, hospitalisation time, and volume of transfusion were considered. Nasal packing was employed in 94.1 per cent of the patients. Most patients (82.9 per cent) were hospitalised less than seven days, and 84.1 per cent of the patients required no transfusion. There was one death. This study supports the clinical usefulness of conservative management in the treatment of patients with epistaxis.