Protection from blood aerosol contamination when managing epistaxis: A study of the effectiveness of a patient mouth mask

The danger to healthcare personnel of acquiring a blood-borne infection accidentally transmitted by a patient is well known. Such an infection can have serious and career-altering implications. Epistaxis, which is the most common emergency seen in ENT practice, poses a great risk of contaminated blood being spattered on the face of the attending medical provider. Areas of possible contamination include the mucosa of the nasal passages, oral cavity, and conjunctiva. Various strategies to prevent contamination have been described in the literature, most of which involve the wearing of protective equipment by the healthcare provider. We conducted a prospective, randomized study of 60 epistaxis patients to determine if a simple surgical mask warn by the patient over his or her mouth would protect the treating physician from aerosolized blood contamination. We found evidence of significant blood splashes on the physician in 8 of the 30 cases (26.7%) in which the patient did not wear a mask, compared with only 4 cases (13.3%) when the mouth mask was worn. We therefore conclude that a patient mouth mask is a simple, inexpensive, and effective way to minimize the risk of aerosolized blood contamination during the treatment of epistaxis.