Primary prevention
Primary preventive measures include:
Avoiding picking or rubbing inside the nose
Home humidification
Application of petroleum jelly, saline spray, or saline nasal gels, in order to discourage intranasal excoriation and thereby help preserve mucosal integrity.
See also the Patient discussions section of this topic.
Secondary prevention
Secondary preventive measures are the same as primary preventive measures.
Further preventive measures include avoiding trauma from nose picking and employing simple nasal hygiene.[8] If possible, avoid medication that impairs clotting, such as cold medications containing aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, particularly in people who have recurrent epistaxis. These drugs do not initiate nosebleeds but may prolong bleeding.
Patients on nasal oxygen or continuous positive airways pressure should use their humidification apparatus to reduce nasal mucosal drying which contributes to recurrent nosebleeds.[8]
Avoid medication that impairs clotting, if possible, during healing.[1][2][27]
Advise patients taking anticoagulants or antiplatelet medications to use saline lubrication and ensure that comorbidities are well controlled to prevent recurrent epistaxis.[8]
Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer