Length of Stay among Patients Consulting for Spontaneous Epistaxis in the Emergency Department

Spontaneous epistaxis is a common cause of emergency department's (ED) visit. Considering ED's overcrowding, it seems interesting to study risk factors of hospitalisation or long length of stay to increase triage's quality. Thus, we performed a prospective analysis to assess average length of stay of patients with spontaneous epistaxis. Secondary objectives were to find putative risk factor of longer length of stay. From February 13th, 2023, to August 31st, 2023, a prospective observational study was performed in five EDs among patients who consult for spontaneous epistaxis. We collected the following time items - arrival, first contact with triage nurse, first medical contact, and discharged or admission time. We also collected sociodemographic, medical history, daily medications, and care in the ED. Among 106 patients, median length of stay in the ED was 144 min. No patient was discharged before 28 min and the longest duration was 625 min (10 h and 25 min. Half epistaxis was already dried up before their arrival in the ED. Main risks factors to long ED length of stay were the hour of admission between midnight and eight am, the need of a blood sample and a consult with an ORL. We did not find any impact of the location of care, hypertension, age, or blood thinners. Half of patient presenting in the ED for spontaneous epistaxis was discharged in 144 min. This duration is significantly prolonged during night shift, if blood was sampled, or if an ORL consult was needed.