Silver nitrate cautery and epistaxis.

Silver nitrate cautery and epistaxis SirIn cases of persistent epistaxis, where first-aid measures have failed, and providing a bleeding vessel is visible, cautery (Ludman, 1981) with a silver nitrate tipped stick is the treatment of choice.However, where there is profuse bleeding from larger nasal arteries or veins, difficulty is often experienced in stemming the blood flow, and frequently one must resort to electrocautery or tamponade by balloon or packing.Modifying the technique of silver nitrate cautery will result in universal success.In a study carried out at the Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow, 22 patients presenting with predominantly unilateral epistaxis were examined.Sixteen patients were identified with