[Risk profile analysis of stationary epistaxis patients]

Epistaxis is a disease well known to general practitioners and ENT specialists in the outpatient sector as well as in hospitals. The aim of this study was to analyze data of patients that were treated as inpatients at the ENT university hospital Freiburg between 2014-2018.

This retrospective study analyzes data of admitted patients with epistaxis regarding age, medication, bleeding site, underlying health conditions, radiological imaging and treatment. Risk factors for longer inpatient length of stay and readmission were identified.

Median length of stay was 3.5 days. 55 % of the patients suffered from posterior epistaxis. 72.3 % of patients were treated with anticoagulants at the time of admission. The most prevalent medical conditions were hypertension (66 %) and arrhythmia due to atrial fibrillation (36.1 %). 63.5 % of the patients were treated by nasal packing. 97 patients (14.6 %) had to be treated surgically. Surgical treatment, transfusion, posterior epistaxis and anticoagulant treatment were risk factors for longer length of inpatient stay. Preexisting hypertension, posterior bleeding and single anticoagulant treatment increased the risk of readmission.

Determination and consideration of risk factors allow identification of patients at risk of longer inpatient length of stay and readmission. Adequate management accounting for risk profiles of patients could help reduce morbidity.