Medical Questions » First Aid Questions » Question No. 404
| Question: | I recently had a nose bleed that lasted over an hour, but stopped just before I went to hospital. How should you stop a nose bleed? |
| Answer: | The patient is placed in a sitting position (NOT lying down) and the soft part of the nose just beyond the end of the nose bone is squeezed together firmly. Ideally this should be done with a cloth soaked in icy water which will cause the blood vessels in the nose to contract. If excited, the patient is calmed down, and the nostrils are held firmly for 5 minutes without letting go. When the pressure is released, the bleeding should have stopped, and the patient can go quietly on their way.
If the bleeding continues, two more five-minute periods of compression should be tried. If these fail, medical assistance should be sought, as the bleeding may be coming from further back in the nose.
The most common cause of bloody noses is drying out of the fine tissue on the nasal septum, which is covered with a network of veins designed to warm the air. If the tissue dries out too much it will split and bleeding occurs. Antiseptic and moisturising creams can be used regularly on the septum inside the nose to prevent this drying in hot weather.
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