The effect of different nasal packings applied after septoplasty on pain
Akif Güneş1, Serkan Ceyhan2
1Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Kulak Burun Boğaz Anabilim Dalı, Bolu, Türkiye
2Eskişehir Şehir Hastanesi Kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, Eskişehir, Türkiye
Keywords: Nasal packings, pain, septoplasty.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effect of two different nasal packings after septoplasty on postoperative pain.
METHODS: Between January 2018 and December 2018, a total of 82 patients (64 males, 18 females; mean age 33.4±11.9 years; range, 19 to 59 years) who underwent septoplasty due to nasal septal deviation were included in the study. Anterior Merocel nasal packs were applied to 44 patients (Group 1) and silicone nasal splints with integral airway were applied to 38 patients (Group 2). The pain severity of the patients was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) at the postoperative 6, 12, 18, and 24h. Nasal packs were removed at the postoperative 24 h.
RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the VAS scores at 6, 12, and 18h (p=0.609, p=0.611, p=0.201, and p>0.05, respectively), while there were statistically significant differences in the VAS scores at 24 h between the groups (p=0.016 and p<0.05, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Our study results showed that the use of silicone nasal splints significantly reduced pain severity compared to the merocel nasal packs at the postoperative 24h after septoplasty.