What Causes Excessive Bleeding During a Septoplasty?

It’s not unusual for patients to have bloody drainage
following septoplasty surgery.This is
normal following this type of procedure and usually resolves in two to three
days following surgery.Rarely
patients have excessive bleeding following septoplasty.This may be precipitated by coughing,
sneezing, straining or any other maneuver that increases pressure within the
nose.This can cause small blood vessels
to open and bleed profusely. When
this situation arises, it’s important to contact your surgeon immediately. In
most cases packing the nose will be necessary, but in rare cases a return to
the operating room may be necessary as well.When these maneuvers are undertaken bleeding is usually easily
controlled.

Intermittent bleeding after a septoplasty or septorhinoplasty is not uncommon and can last up to a week to ten days. If it gets heavy, you may wish to call your surgeon to discuss the matter with them to make sure that there are no other issues going on. Sometimes aspirin usage and motrin can contribute to the problem as well.

The nose, and specifically the nasal septum, has a very healthy blood supply.  Bleeding is generally minimized with the use of vasoconstrictive agents and injection with local anesthetic mixed with epinephrine.  Despite these measures, some degree of bleeding is always encountered, but generally controlled by the end of the case.  Sometimes, sutures and even packing material are used to assist in hemostasis.  Factors that will increase the amount of blood loss include an elevated blood pressure and/ or failure to stop medications that promote bleeding (NSAIDS, coumadin, vitamin E etc.)