Nose pack method and apparatus

A device for treating nosebleeds, comprising:

• means for absorbing blood, said means for absorbing blood including:
• means for preventing movement of said device outwardly with respect to a nasal cavity;
• a pair of sidewalls;
• an anterior portion;
• a posterior portion with a free end;
• a neck portion proximate to said anterior portion and between said anterior portion and said posterior portion;
• and wherein in an expanded state of said means for absorbing blood a distance between said sidewalls increases at each point along said sidewalls of said means for absorbing blood from said neck portion to a second end of said side walls at said posterior portion, wherein said sidewalls of said means for absorbing blood are symmetrical about a central axis of said means for absorbing blood, wherein said means for absorbing blood is formed from a unitary piece of absorbent foam, and wherein said unitary piece of absorbent foam is free from any cover;
• means for blocking a view of blood interconnected to said means for absorbing blood, said means for blocking a view of blood including:
• means for preventing movement of said device inwardly with respect to said nasal cavity, wherein said means for absorbing blood is fused to said means for blocking a view of blood at said neck portion such that said neck portion is non-absorbent.

A method for treating nosebleeds, comprising:

• inserting a packing member into an existing nasal cavity, wherein the packing member is formed from an absorbent material, wherein the packing member is connected to a flange member at a non-absorbent neck near an anterior portion, wherein the packing member has a length with an anterior portion and a posterior portion, wherein the posterior portion is near a free end of the packing member, and wherein the packing member has a pair of sidewalls that extend along most of a length of the packing member;
• stopping insertion when said flange member contacts an area of the nose proximate to the existing nasal cavity;
• and
• absorbing fluid with the packing member, wherein the packing member expands along the length of the sidewalls against at least first and second walls of the existing nasal cavity, wherein after absorbing fluid and unconstrained by the cavity walls the packing member increases in width from a first end of the sidewalls at the non-absorbent neck in a direction away from the anterior portion, to a second end of the sidewalls at the posterior portion and wherein the posterior portion includes a widest portion of the packing member such that the sidewalls of the packing member are at an angle to one another of from 10 to 45 degrees.

A method for absorbing fluids, comprising:

• providing a device including:
• a packing member formed from an absorbent foam with a pair of planar sidewalls having equal areas, an anterior portion and a posterior portion with a free end, wherein the packing member is not enclosed in a cover;
• and
• a flange member connected to the packing member near the anterior portion at a flange extension;
• compressing the packing member so that the width of the packing member is of a first configuration in which the pair of planar sidewalls are substantially parallel to one another;
• and
• absorbing a fluid with the compressed packing member,
• wherein the packing member assumes an expanded state,
• wherein the width of the packing member is of a second configuration,
• wherein in the second configuration a distance between the planar sidewalls defining the width of the packing member increases such that the planar sidewalls are at an angle of between 10 and 15 degrees from an end of the sidewalls adjacent the flange extension to an opposite end of the sidewalls at least while expansion of the packing member is unconstrained such that the width along a majority of the length of the packing member generally increases from the anterior portion through at least some of the posterior portion,
• and wherein fluid is not absorbed at a neck portion abutting the end of the sidewalls adjacent the flange extension.