Rapid Rhino vs. Merocel: A retrospective analysis of patients with anterior epistaxis visiting emergency rooms in London, Ontario
Abstract
When patients present to an emergency room (ER) with a nosebleed, one technique that physicians employ is the application of nasal packing. Merocel is a common nasal pack utilized in ER because of their low cost. Rapid Rhino is a nasal packing that is more comfortable for patients but is more costly than Merocel. Costing for epistaxis treatment is more than initial treatment costs and needs to consider rebleed rates. Using a retrospective cohort study design with covariates adjusted by propensity scores, we compared the costs associated with Merocel, and Rapid Rhino from the hospital and provincial healthcare perspectives. Merocel had a 26/62 (42%) total rebleed rate contrasted to Rapid Rhino’s 4/17 (24%). For both the hospital and provincial perspectives, our sample did not provide evidence that there was difference in costs between Merocel and Rapid Rhino.