What is the protocol for fixing newly broken nose?

Our protocol for a broken nose depends on the timing of the initial consultation. In some cases, it is important to reset the broken nasal bones under general anesthesia. If there is severe swelling, the swelling is allowed to subside before initiating any further surgery.

The protocol in our office for a broken nose repair is to formally reset the nose under general anesthesia. It took a lot of force to break it in the first place, and it needs to be set and realigned while asleep under general anesthetic. Most of the time when the outside of the nose is broken the internal... more

The nose should be evaluated as soon as possible after the trauma to rule out a septal hematoma (a blood clot within the septum) which could cause permanent damage to the nasal structure. If present the hematoma  should be evacuated immediately. If not, wait about 10 days to determine if there has been a... more

It is ideal to wait for the swelling to decrease, maybe a week or two and then perform a closed nasal reduction to reset the bones.  Even doing this, there is 50% chance that you will need some sort of revision rhinoplasty later down the line.  I like to wait 1 year before attempting the revision... more

A splint will not help it heal straight. If the nose is crooked it must first be reset to straighten it. If the nose is not reset with in the first 10 days, as the nasal bones can be shifted during this time, then usually it is best to wait 3 months.

There are 3 basic time points in which a nasal fracture can be repaired.  1) Within a few hours after the injury. This is due to the fact that the nose will start to swell, thus making it difficult to assess and modify the nasal contours and position.    2) After several hours and before 2 weeks... more

 The nose must be evaluated on two fronts: breathing and external appearance.Assuming there is not major blockage preventing breathing, which is the only bonafide broken nose emergency, either the correction of breathing/appearance is done within the ten days after injury or one waits to operateuntil the... more

I fix broken noses at three different time - 1 at the time of injury if there is little swelling - if swolen, I wait 7 to 14 days and do a closed reduction. If you have waited longer than 2 to 3 weeks before seeing a doctor, I wait until it heals and then fix it with and open reduction at 3 months.

The approach your surgeon will take with your nose will depend upon whether the fracture has displaced your nose and if so, how severely. A non-displaced nasal fracture can be observed and it will heal to the same shape it was prior to the injury. If your nose was displaced during the trauma, you will likely... more

I usually recommend against "immediate" reduction of a fracture for two reasons: 1) swelling--which occurs very quickly after a fracture--can obscure the actual curvature making accurate alignment difficult or impossible, and 2) "immediate" reduction usually means in the E.R. and not the O... more