“Medic 1 respond to 1212 Service Street. Report of 49 year old male with severe nosebleed. Time out 1147.” As we arrived at the address the wife of the patient met us in the driveway. She stated that her husband has a nosebleed that started nearly 30 minutes ago. 
As we enter the home the wife leads us to the bathroom where we find the patient. Blood is covering the sink, the floor and bathtub. He has lost a significant amount of blood in the past 30 minutes.
Nose bleeds are a common source of emergencies. Generally nosebleeds are not life threatening, but if enough blood is lost may result in shock. Nose bleeds can be of two types. The anterior nosebleed involves the blood vessels in the front part of the nose. This type of bleed is usually easily controlled. The other type of nosebleed is the posterior bleed. This involves the blood vessels in the back of the nose. These are much harder to control due to the inability to provide direct pressure on the bleeding vessels.
The most common causes of nosebleeds are:
Dry nasal membranes
Sinus infections
Allergies
Blood thinners
Blood disorders
Sniffing drugs
Trauma to the nose
Emergency Care
Keep the victim quiet and in a sitting position leaning forward.
Apply firm pressure by pinching nostrils.
Apply cold compresses to the nose and face.
Do not apply ice directly to skin as this may result in frost bite.
If bleeding is not controlled within 10 minutes, notify the local EMS.
Avoid blowing the nose for several hours as this may dislodge clot.
Decongestant nasal sprays are sometimes effective in constricting blood vessels along with direct pressure as above.
Most nosebleeds can be controlled as noted above. If nose bleeds occur frequently contact a physician for thorough examination.
So our patient is now weak, pale and lightheaded. It appears that he is in the first stage of shock. Two pieces of gauze are rolled up and placed in each nostril. Pressure is again applied by pinching the nose. After several minutes the bleeding appears to be under control. Due to the fact that the patient is in the early stage of shock an I.V. fluids are administered and the patient is transported to the hospital. After spending several hours in the emergency room the patient is released with no further problems.
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
1John 3:17
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