First Aid Focus – by Ross Smith (paramedic) Australian First Aid
Nose Bleeds
Nosebleeds are extremely common and can occur during sporting activity. Although a common occurrence, often the management of a casualty with a bleeding nose seems to create confusion about the first aid treatment. I will attempt to dispel the myths and provide you with a simple treatment guide in this short article.
Causes of nose bleeding
A nosebleed happens when one of the blood vessels in the lining of the nose bursts. Infection, trauma/injury, dry irritated nasal passages, allergic reaction and nose picking may cause bleeding from the nose. Another name for nosebleed is epistaxis.
First Aid Management for nose bleeding
• Sit casualty upright and leaning forward. By remaining upright, reduces blood pressure in the veins of the nose. This discourages further bleeding. Sitting forward will help avoid swallowing blood, which can irritate the stomach.
• Pinch nose. Use your thumb and index fingers to pinch the nostrils shut, or get the casualty to pinch their nostrils shut. Encourage the casualty to breathe through their mouth. Continue to pinch for 10 minutes. Pinching causes pressure to the bleeding point and encourages blood clotting that will often stops the flow.
• To prevent re-bleeding, ask casualty to not pick or blow their nose. Stop all sporting activity and don’t bend down for several hours after the bleeding episode.
Call 000 for an ambulance if bleeding persists for more than 20 minutes or gets more severe and you cannot stop the flow.
Myths (Someone once said!)
“A cold face washer or cold compress on the back of the neck helps stop nose bleeding”.
Answer: NO – physiologically does nothing however, a cold compress on the nose combined with nostril pinching can help slow and stop bleeding.
“Leaning backwards will stop the nosebleed”.
Answer: NO – this will cause blood to flow into your stomach which can cause
vomiting, always put head forward.
Reminder: Don’t forget the First Aid Fast training session (Tennis Focused) is being held at Tennis SA Memorial Drive at 6pm – 9pm on Monday 18 April. Call Ross Smith on 0402 431 164 for enquiries of bookings.
Follow the link and watch this video on first aid for nose bleeding.
Looking for accredited first aid training visit australianfirstaid.com.au or call 1300 975 889
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