• Patient on warfarin, bleeding stopped: 'safety netting' and advice on first aid. Intervention (antibiotic cream or nasal cautery) is likely to make things worse whilst the risks of stopping warfarin (or reversing it with vitamin K) outweigh potential benefits. The risk of serious haemmorage increases substantially with an INR > 5 – at the point Vitamin K +/- fresh frozen plasma should be considered in a hospital setting.

Resources

• Epistaxis - nosebleeds (CKS)