How to Cauterize a Nose

If you are suffering from persistent nosebleeds, it can become frustrating to constantly be running for tissues for fear of blood stains. One cure for chronic nosebleeds is the cauterization of the vein causing the bleeding, which entails sealing the vein through heat or electric means. Cauterization is a medical procedure which should be performed only by trained professionals.

Things You'll Need

• Head mirror
• Nasal speculum
• Blood vials
• Cotton roll
• Local anesthesia
• Electrocautery needle

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Instructions

• 1

  Inspect the inside of the nostril using light from a head mirror and a nasal speculum. Look for the source of bleeding, where blood is coming through the skin inside the nasal passage.

• 2

  Take a blood sample and store it in a vial to test for potential disorders that can lead to the bleeding, such as anemia or a clotting deficiency.

• 3

  Pour a local anesthetic over the tip of a cotton roll and insert it into the nostril until it contacts the point of bleeding. Leave the roll in place until the area has grown numb.

• 4

  Cauterize the vein by applying the tip of the electrocautery needle to the point of bleeding inside the nose. It is important that the patient be fully numbed around the bleeding point for this step, since it can be very painful.

• 5

  Caution the patient against blowing the nose for the next week, and advise the patient to keep the mouth open any time they are going to sneeze. Breathing in or out too heavily through the nostril in the days following the cauterization can cause the wound to reopen.