Use of nasal bivalve septal teflon splint for the treatment of recurrent epistaxis in patients undergoing anticoagulant therapy

Abstract

Management of recurrent epistaxis in patients on anticoagulant therapy is a challenging problem. In this article, we report our experience concerning the use of bivalve septal teflon splint (BSTS) for the treatment of recurrent mild epistaxis in a group of patients who underwent anticoagulant therapy after cardiac valve surgery. The study included 18 patients whose epistaxes recurred despite standard methods such as local pressure, vasoconstrictors, sedation, packing or cauterization. BSTS was sutured on the both sides of the nasal septum and held in place during one month. Epistaxis was controlled in all of the patients. We believe that the use of BSTS is an effective, easily applied, non-traumatic, well-tolerated additional method for the treatment of recurrent mild epistaxis in patients undergoing anticoagulant therapy, when other conventional treatments fail. Further controlled studies with larger groups are warranted in order to further evaluate this method.