Thanks for your question about nosebleeds.
We usually offer nasal cautery when patients suffer from recurrent nosebleeds which originate from the superficial blood vessels at the front part of the nose.
It is simple, painless and quick to do in the clinic. We use a “matchstick” whose tip is covered with silver nitrate to seal off the blood vessel in the form of a chemical reaction. Recovery is quick and patients go home afterward as they don’t need a general anaesthetic for this safe and short procedure which usually only takes approx 5-10 seconds for each side.
For much younger kids, sometimes a general anaesthesia is needed but again this is just done as a daycase procedure and minor op.
Of course, before we do any of the above, we check the whole nose out properly with a flexible nasal endoscope to make sure we aren’t missing out more worrying causes. We also need to screen for any underlying bleeding tendencies which rarely, some people may suffer from.
