Petroleum jelly does not reduce recurrent pediatric epistaxis
The Journal of Family Practice. 2004 August;53(8):604-612
August 1, 2004|The Journal of Family Practice
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- CLINICAL QUESTION: Does petroleum jelly reduce the likelihood that epistaxis will recur in children?
- STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial (single-blinded)
- SETTING: Outpatient (specialty)
- SYNOPSIS: Recurrent nosebleeds are a common problem in children. Many doctors advise the application of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to the anterior nares, since bleeding is thought to result from drying, picking, rubbing, and all the other things children do to their noses.
BOTTOM LINE
In this highly selective group of patients with recurrent epistaxis, petroleum jelly (Vaseline) applied twice daily for 4 weeks did not reduce the number of bleeds in the subsequent 4 weeks. This should make you question this commonly recommended treatment. But don’t abandon it just yet, since it may work in children with less severe disease in the primary care setting, and because there was potential for recall bias by parents in this study. (LOE=2b)
