[InmyblooD]

Let's say you have a head trauma pt and there is minor bleeding from the nose and ears.
For the sake of this question, you don't have any gauze in the whole dept. to do a halo test.

How else can you find out if there is CSF leakage?

Would an accucheck that tested positive for sugar be one??
And let's say that the pt was a non-compliant diabetic. Would the blood from his nose or ears test positive even in the absence of CSF leakage??

[RNKittyKat]

Those are a lot of "ifs". It would be safe to assume, until it can be ruled out, that any clear fluid leaking from the ears is CSF in a head trauma event.

As for the noncompliant diabetic thing, we test capillary blood for standard blood glucose monitoring. Testing blood coming from any unknown source would not give a reliable result.

[nurseby07]

Originally Posted by InmyblooD

Let's say you have a head trauma pt and there is minor bleeding from the nose and ears.
For the sake of this question, you don't have any gauze in the whole dept. to do a halo test.

How else can you find out if there is CSF leakage?

Would an accucheck that tested positive for sugar be one??
And let's say that the pt was a non-compliant diabetic. Would the blood from his nose or ears test positive even in the absence of CSF leakage??

What about a paper towel? Blood or no it would show a halo more easily than gauze, or am I wrong? I don't know about the accucheck.

[ozinurse]

It might be questionable whether you would base the diagnosis of base of skull fracture on the halo test or positive glusose anyway.

A significant head injury with blood from the ear/nose would be of high suspicion and most likey score a CT.

[Altra]

Agree with ozinurse.

I understand what you're asking, but in practice it would be a moot point. Head trauma gets a head CT.