Stopping And Preventing Epistaxis

Even though you may not have heard the word Epistaxis, chances are that you have experienced it yourself or you have witnessed someone else having one.

Epistaxis is the fancy word for a nosebleed.

Nosebleeds are something that will happen to one out of every seven people in their lifetime.

Sometimes Epistaxis happens due to an injury, such as being hit in the face by a ball or if someone punches you in the face, or it happens because of a dry climate.

There are also times when Epsitaxis can indicate a more serious underlying problems like leukemia cancer.

Steps to stop and prevent Epistaxis

If you are with someone who experiences Epistaxis, here are the steps that you can take to help them stop nosebleed.

  • If they are available, put some plastic gloves on to keep yourself safe from getting their blood on your hands. This is especially important if you don’t know the person.
  • If the person is a family member or a friend that you have known for a while, don’t worry about it.  Use the thumb and forefinger of one of your hands to pinch the person’s nose shut.
  • Make sure that the person keep their head upright instead of back. This will prevent the blood from flowing down the person’s throat and causing them to choke.
  • Make sure that the pressure continues on the person’s nostrils for five to ten minutes.
  • When you release the pressure on the person’s nostrils, do it slowly and gently, making sure that the bleeding has stopped.
  • The application of an ice pack to the victim’s cheeks and nose will also help the flow of blood to stop. This can be done while you are pinching the nostrils of the person or after the pressure has been released. The cold is going to slow down the flow of blood and will help to stop the bleeding.

If the bleeding hasn’t stopped after anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes of pressure and ice, there are a couple of ways that you can prevent yourself and the people in your house from getting nosebleeds.

  • Humidifier:  One of the ways that you can help to prevent Epistaxis is to put humidifiers in your home. Dry air is one of the causes of nosebleeds, so putting moisture into the air will help to keep everyone’s noses moist.
  • Nose blowing: Another way to prevent Epistaxis is to not blow your nose too hard.  If you blow your nose too hard, it can rupture the small blood vessels and cause a bleed.

If you have a lot of nosebleeds that are difficult to stop, go and see your doctor to make sure that there isn’t something more serious that is causing them.