The use of FloSeal haemostatic sealant in the management of epistaxis: a prospective clinical study and literature review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION It is standard practice in the UK that if conservative measures or chemical cautery fail to control epistaxis, patients receive nasal packing which is often uncomfortable, requires admission and has well documented associated morbidity. Our study aims to evaluate the use of FloSeal haemostatic sealant in managing patients with epistaxis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients were identified from those referred with active epistaxis. A successful outcome was defined as complete haemostasis with FloSeal alone, with no further significant bleeding requiring admission or further interventions in the subsequent 7 days. Patients reported satisfaction using a ten-point visual analogue scale. Ear, nose and throat doctors recorded patient demographics, time to prepare FloSeal, length of stay, need for further treatment and adverse events on an electronic database. RESULTS 30 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean time to prepare FloSeal was 5 minutes. The success rate of FloSeal was 90%. The mean length of stay was 2.75 hours. The mean patient satisfaction with FloSeal was 8.4/10. No adverse events occurred. DISCUSSION FloSeal was found to be effective in controlling anterior epistaxis. There was a single case of posterior epistaxis which required operative management. The literature largely supports FloSeal in anterior epistaxis, but indicates sphenopalatine artery ligation as the definitive management of posterior epistaxis. CONCLUSIONS Our data support the use of FloSeal in patients with anterior epistaxis not controlled with conservative measures or chemical cautery. It was found to be easy to use, is well tolerated by patients and is efficient in financial terms.