Traumatic hyphema: outcomes of outpatient management.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of outpatient and inpatient management of layered hyphema.

DESIGN: The charts of all patients with traumatic layered hyphema treated in the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Emergency Ward between January 1991 and November 1995 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients with a diagnosis of microscopic hyphema, ruptured globe, or posterior segment injury other than commotio retinae on their initial emergency department visit were excluded. The study patients were compared with an historic control group of patients with hyphema who had been treated at the same institution from July 1986 to February 1989.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 154 patients met the study criteria. These were compared with 119 patients in the historic control group.

INTERVENTION: Of the study patients, 5% were admitted on the day of presentation, 95% were treated initially as outpatients, and 4% subsequently were admitted. All of the patients in the historic control group were treated with initial hospital admission.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The rebleed rates of the study and control groups were compared. The final recorded visual acuity and causes of best-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/30 were analyzed for the study group.

RESULTS: The rebleed rates of the study group and the historic control group were 4.5% and 5.0%, respectively (P > 0.05). The rebleed rates of the study patients initially treated as outpatients and the historic control group were 3.4% and 5%, respectively (P > 0.05). The rebleed rates of study patients who did not receive aminocaproic acid and the subset of historic control patients who received aminocaproic acid were 3.3% and 4.8%, respectively (P > 0.05). Ninety-six percent of study patients achieved a final best-corrected visual acuity of 20/30 or better. Causes of a final documented visual acuity worse than 20/30 included loss of patient follow-up before resolution of the hyphema, traumatic cataract, macular hole, and macular degeneration.

CONCLUSIONS: In the authors' predominantly white patient population, close outpatient follow-up of traumatic hyphemas appears to be safe and effective. Hospitalization for hyphema does not appear to decrease the rate of rebleeding. Decreased vision in the setting of traumatic hyphema generally results from comorbidities not affected by inpatient management.