When is tamponade needed?
If the bleeding does not stop within 15–20 minutes by pressing the wing of the nose, medical attention is required. Anterior tamponade - insertion of a tampon or hemostatic sponge into the anterior sections of the nasal cavity - helps in most cases. For bleeding from the posterior sections, which is accompanied by blood draining into the pharynx, posterior tamponade is performed. After stopping the bleeding, be sure to look for the cause: hypertension, clotting disorder, damage to the septal vessel.
When you need emergency ENT care
Some ENT conditions cannot be postponed: nosebleeds that do not stop within 15–20 minutes, a foreign body in the nose, ear or throat, a purulent abscess with increasing swelling, a fresh injury to the nose.
Delay here worsens the outcome: blood loss increases, the foreign body moves deeper, the abscess spreads to the surrounding tissue, and the nasal bones fuse in the wrong position after 7–10 days.
What you shouldn't do on your own
- trying to reach a foreign body with tweezers or a cotton swab - it goes deeper
- throw back your head when you have a nosebleed - blood flows down your throat
- warm the abscess area - heat accelerates the spread of pus
- straighten your nose after an injury with your own hands