Abstract
Background: Septoplasty is often combined with surgery of the inferior turbinate. To avoid complications like serious bleeding and hematoma nasal splints and several kinds of nasal packing is used. The splints have to be fixed, which can leed to infections around the suture and at the edge of the splints. The removal of the packings and the splints mostly done at different days, is a very unpleasent procedure.
Tipps & Tricks: We examined 20 patients prospective, after septoplasty and submucosal surgery of the inferior turbinate, which were randomly allocated in two groups. One group with nasal airway splints and glove finger packings, the other with combined splint-packings. The splint-packings had a double silicon tube covered with hemostatic gel. They were fixed at the nasal dorsum.
Results: Nasal obstruction ((by visual analogue scale (VAS)) was lower in the splint-packings group during the whole period of examination, so was pain (VAS) at the fifth day of examination. infections of the columella were much lower in this group too. As serious complication one hematoma of the septum was noted in each group. Removal of the nasal packing was felt to be most unpleasant in the control group, whereas the daily cleaning of the nose by suction was felt to be in the splint-packing group.
Conclusions: Combined splint-packings used after septoplasty and surgery of the inferior turbinate are practical for doctors and more pleasant for patients then other established packings or splints.
