John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
What precautions can you take to prevent nose bleeding?
The most common cause of a nose bleeds is drying of the nasal membranes. If you are prone to recurrent nosebleeds, it is often helpful to try lubricating the nose with an ointment of some type. This can be applied gently with a Q-tip or your fingertip up inside the nose, especially on the middle portion (the septum). Many
people use remedies for nose bleeds such as A & D ointment, Mentholatum,
Polysporin/Neosporin ointment, or Vaseline. Saline mist nasal spray is often helpful (Ocean Spray).
When should you call your doctor or report to the emergency room?
If bleeding cannot be stopped or keeps occurring.
If bleeding is rapid, or if blood loss is large.
If you feel weak or faint, presumably from blood loss.
If your nosebleed is associated with a fever or headache.
If your infant or baby has a nosebleed, contact the pediatrician.
If the nosebleed persists or is recurrent, see your doctor, who may then recommend stopping the
nosebleed with a heating instrument or chemical swab (cautery of the blood vessel that is causing the trouble) or application of a topical medicine called thrombin that promotes local clotting of blood. Blood tests may be ordered to check for bleeding disorders. If bleeding is still persistent, the doctor may place nasal packs, which compress the vessels and stop the bleeding. In rare situations, you may be admitted to the hospital or require surgical treatment or a procedure where material is used to plug up the bleeding vessels in the nose (angiographic embolization).
What should I do if the doctor has placed nasal packs?
Nasal packs are used when less conservative measures fail (see above). These packs are frequently placed in both sides of the nose. The packs are usually made of a material called "Merocel" which is a compressed sponge-like material used to help compress the area of the nose that is bleeding. The doctor usually does not remove them for several days (two to
three days). This requires a follow-up appointment.
You will need someone to drive you and bring you home after the nasal packs are removed. During this time, you may be prescribed antibiotics and pain medications as needed.
It is not uncommon for the nose to drain a blood-tinged material. Folded gauze taped under the nose (a mustache dressing) is often useful. Your doctor may permit you to clean your nostrils with hydrogen peroxide soaked Q-tips. Finally, you should consider the prevention methods described above to help to avoid bleeding again.
Remember, patients with nosebleeds should not to take aspirin or any other blood thinning products. If patients are already taking these medications when the nosebleed is noticed, they should consult their healthcare practitioner.
Nosebleed - Length Symptoms LastedQuestion: How long did the symptoms of your nosebleed last? Was there anything in particular that helped with pain/symptom relief?
Dengue fever is contracted from the bite of a striped Aedes aegypti mosquito. Symptoms of dengue include headache, fever, exhaustion, severe joint and muscle pain, rash, and swollen glands. Since dengue is caused by a virus, there is no specific medicine to treat it. Treatment instead focuses on relieving the symptoms.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is a form of cancer in which malignant cells form in the nasopharynx tissues. Risk factors include being of Chinese or Asian ancestry and exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus. Symptoms and signs of nasopharyngeal cancer include a sore throat, a lump in the neck or nose, trouble hearing, nosebleeds, headaches, and trouble hearing, breathing, or speaking. Treatment depends upon the stage of the cancer, the tumor size, the type of cancer, and the patient's health and age.
Cocaine is an addictive stimulant that is smoked, snorted, and injected. Crack is cocaine that comes in a rock crystal that is heated to form vapors, which are then smoked. Cocaine has various effects on the body, including dilating pupils, constricting blood vessels, increasing body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.
A deviate septum is a condition in which the bone and cartilage that divide the nasal cavity of the nose in half (nasal septum) is significantly off center or crooked. The causes of a deviated septum can be congenital, or develop after a trauma or injury to the nose. Symptoms of a deviated septum include nasal congestion, recurrent sinus infections, nosebleeds, headache, facial pain, postnasal drip, snoring, and loud breathing. A deviated septum can be relieved with medications, and if necessary surgery, called a septoplasty.
Hemophilia is one of a group of inherited bleeding disorders. Hemophilia A and B are inherited in an X-linked recessive genetic pattern and is more common in males. Symptoms of hemophilia include bleeding into the joints, muscles, GI or urinary tract, or brain or skull. Treatments for hemophilia is generally replacement of blood clotting factors.
Adult-onset asthma is asthma that is diagnosed in people over 20 years of age. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. Treatment may involve anti-inflammatory medications or bronchodilators.
Idiopathic means that the cause of the condition isn't known. Thrombocytopenic means there's a lower than normal number of platelets in the blood. Purpura refers to purple bruises caused by bleeding under the skin. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a bleeding condition in which the blood doesn't clot as it should. This is due to a low number of blood cell fragments called platelets.
Yellow fever is an infectious disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Side effects are rare with the yellow fever vaccine. Symptoms include fever, chills, back pain, nausea, vomiting, and headache. Treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms.
Bernard-Soulier disease is a rare inherited bleeding disorder caused by a defect in the platelet glycoprotein complex 1b-IX-V. Symptoms and signs include bruising, nosebleeds, gum bleeding, and problems with anything that induces bleeding, such as surgery, ulcers, trauma, and menstruation. Treatment involves avoiding medications that interfere with clot formation, such as naproxen, ibuprofen, and aspirin. People with Bernard-Soulier syndrome should avoid contact sports.
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