1538 Use of Propranolol for Treating Epistaxis - First Experiences

Beta blockers are considered to be the most common prescribed class of drugs in treating cardiovascular diseases. However they are very useful in treating other conditions, such as migraine, glaucoma, hemangiomas, cirrhosis, etc. We hypothesized that some beta blockers characteristics including their negative inotropic, peripheral vasoconstrictor and antiangiogenic effects might be potentially useful in the management of children with epistaxis. To test this we sought to determine the efficiacy of propranolol as a second line therapy in children with reccurent primary epistaxis, resistant to conventional management. From June 2010 to October 2011, a total of six children with this features were seen a our institution. The overall effectiveness of propranolol for terminating epistaxis, given in dosage of 1.5–2 mg/kg/day, three times a day, was successful in all six treated children (100 % efficacy) becoming evident within 24 hours after the after the initiation of treatment. The epistaxis free interval period lasted at least one year, in five children and 43 days in one children. Based on our first experiences with propranol, we believe this drug could be promising treatment option for children with primary epistaxis.