Nose Bleed During Work

[braverepub]

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So a friend who is a general surgery resident got one of those random nose bleeds when he was in the OR. He said it was probably triggered by the weather. There was an attending in the OR with him, so he left and took care of it and came back.

My question is, what would you do or have you done if you get a random nose bleed during a trauma? I mean, you cannot get your blood in the patient, but if you wait, the patient dies? And in this scenario, you are the only physician in the ED.

What I would probably do it put on a mask that covers my nose and stick a bunch of tissues behind it. I would then further work on the patient, while having my nurse call a hospitalist or the in-house while I take care of it.

 

[Tiger26]

So a friend who is a general surgery resident got one of those random nose bleeds when he was in the OR. He said it was probably triggered by the weather. There was an attending in the OR with him, so he left and took care of it and came back.

My question is, what would you do or have you done if you get a random nose bleed during a trauma? I mean, you cannot get your blood in the patient, but if you wait, the patient dies? And in this scenario, you are the only physician in the ED.

What I would probably do it put on a mask that covers my nose and stick a bunch of tissues behind it. I would then further work on the patient, while having my nurse call a hospitalist or the in-house while I take care of it.

1) It's very rare that a patient dies without any acute (i.e. within seconds) intervention

2) I get them every once in a while--I just step out and get it under control with a little direct pressure and some toilet paper packing

3) If the patient were in extremis, just stick some tissues in and do what you need to do or supervise and multitask

 

[EM2BE]

The other good thing is that nasal packing is not far away if you need it.

 

[southerndoc]

I know a doc who had a STEMI while dealing with a septic patient. The hospitalist came to the ED to deal with the ER until backup arrived (about 90 minutes).

 

[Apollyon]

I know a doc who had a STEMI while dealing with a septic patient. The hospitalist came to the ED to deal with the ER until backup arrived (about 90 minutes).

I know of a doc that had a VFib arrest while working in the ED. He survived, and, for a brief period, was nice (as he was, prior to death, quite an unsavory fellow). This period was, as I say, brief, as he returned to his nearly scurrilous self soon after returning to work (and still does to this day, about 16 years later).

 

[Groove]

Clothes pin in his back pocket. Ask nurse to place it on his nose, swallow the blood, and ask her to pull his scrubs down and give him an IM Zofran shot in the butt without breaking sterile field.

Surgery goes fine. Story never dies. Resident probably develops OCD and starts routine chain afrin sprays to his sinuses before every surgery.