Hypertension And Nosebleed: What You Should Do

Nosebleed is one of those nasty experiences that a hypertension patient could have occasionally. This could either be mild or severe depending on the contributory factors. It must be understood that this condition could start spontaneously without any injury in the patient.

Sometimes nosebleed is a product of long neglect of the medical treatment needed to put hypertension under control. It is due to a rupture of one or more capillary blood vessels in the nose following the elevated blood pressure within the vessel. We once had a patient with the severe type of bleeding which lasted for about 4 hours. The reason he actually suffered this serious problem was because he assumed his condition was already stabilized and he didn’t need to continue on his drugs any more. Unfortunately, the nosebleed came without a warning 6 months after he stopped taking his drugs. All efforts to stop the haemorrhage proved abortive until an indwelling catheter was inserted into his nostril and inflated. He was lucky he had that as the last resort otherwise he would have perhaps died from the uncontrollable bleeding.

It is therefore advisable not to suddenly stop your drug or adjust the dosage without your doctor’s supervision. However, if you notice that someone close to you starts to bleed from the nose as a result of his/her hypertension, here are some things you could do to help:
1.Sit the patient up in order to prevent discomfort as a result of standing. This also lessens fatigue or the possibility of fainting.
2.Patient should tilt his head slightly forward to prevent ingesting the blood (can cause vomiting) or inhaling the blood (which can cause choking).
3.Have patient pinch the soft part of the nose firmly between the thumb and forefinger (index finger).
4.He should be instructed not to blow the nose as this may dislodge blood clot that would help arrest the bleeding.
5.He should also be instructed to breathe through the mouth
6.Apply cold compress to the bridge of the nose, lips and back of the neck
7.Reassure the patient that bleeding would soon stop.
8.Protect his clothing from being soiled with blood.
9.Keep the patient as calm as possible
10.Keep on-lookers away to enable patient get adequate ventilation
11.If bleeding is severe call the doctor or arrange to take patient to the hospital.