Hemoglobin and INR Out of Nose Blood

Nose bleeding (epistaxis) is a common emergency. It is often difficult to estimate blood loss and the current hemoglobin of patients. In patients with oral anticoagulation, it is important to measure the level of hemodilution. Several situations with the importance of the fast determination of these parameters have been identified in previous studies \[1,2\]. The blood sampling from the venous punction is the standard in these investigations. However, this requires the corresponding painful puncture and also the time required at the laboratory. Since many patients present themselves with active bleeding, it is obvious that this blood could be used for determining the following parameters: Hemoglobin and INR/Quick. The nose blood can be analyzed with commercial rapid test devices. If these devices could generate same or similar results and after further validation of the method, painful punctures could be waived.