An alternative use of the surgical mask for the protection of healthcare workers managing epistaxis.
Epistaxis has a reported prevalence of 10-12 per cent in the general population and is thus one of the commonest emergencies in Otolaryngology. We suggest that the patient uses a surgical mask to prevent blood spray during epistaxis management. Utilizing the described technique we have found that protective clothing worn by the healthcare professional is consistently 'blood-free' at the end of the procedure. This is in contrast to findings when no facemask is applied.
Gwilym
Stephen
S
Department of Otolaryngology, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK. s_gwilym@yahoo.com
Armstrong
Ruth
R
Kundu
Sujata
S
Steventon
Nicholas
N
D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D004844:Epistaxis / Q000628:therapy*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008397:Masks; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control