Is Packing the Nose Needed After Rhinoplasty and Septoplasty?

asked 2 years ago by marg in naperville in NAPERVILLE, IL
Latest answer by C. Spencer Cochran, MD
Question viewed 2,361 times
Tags: nose

Why do some pack the nose afterwards and some don't? My daughter is considering a Rhinoplasty and Septoplasty and we're swondering what the pros and cons of packing the nose are and whether or not it is necessary and beneficial.

5 answers to Is Packing the Nose Needed After Rhinoplasty and Septoplasty?

Rhinoplasty Recovery: Splints, Casts, & Packing

Internal Splints: Inside the nose, most surgeons place some sort of internal splints after rhinoplasty. The internal splints do several things: (1) put mild pressure on the septum to prevent a septal hematoma, (2) help hold the inside straight during the early healing process, and (3) prevent scar bands from forming from the lateral side of the nasal passage to the septum. These can be soft plastic, silicone, telfa pads. They are left in place for one day to one week depending on the... more

C. Spencer Cochran, MD
Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.rhinoplasty-usa.com

Packing is not needed.

Packing of the nose has been out of vogue for over 20 years. The only reason to pack the nose is for a sudden nosebleed that will not stop with other methods. Packing the nose is painful, and stronger narcotics will then be required if packing is in place. Antibiotics will also have to be taken if packing is placed to prevent toxic shock syndrome. There is no reason to pack a nose after a septoplasty or a rhinoplasty.

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

There is packing.....and then there is packing.

Packing should be kept to a small piece to help control bleeding, not to do the surgery. This requires only a small piece of Telfa, not the old method of long strips of gauze!

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

It depends on what is seen during nasal surgery

No one likes packing the nose. Not the patient or the surgeon. It makes breathing more difficult and is uncomfortable for the patient. In general, most surgeons will avoid using it if they don't need it. However, sometimes when we are fixing the septum, we realize that the septum is much more deviated than we thought. Or, sometimes, we have to do extra things in order to make it more straight. In these cases, we may need to pack the one or both nostrils to support the delicate septum... more

John Diaz, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Why surgeons pack the nose or use quitling sutures after rhinoplasty (nose job) & septoplasty

This varies among surgeons. To simplify the explanation I will use an analogy: Think of the septum as a sandwich of two layers of mucoperichondrium (bread) and the cartilage between them (meat). A septoplasty involves lifting the mucopericondrium from the cartilage (lifting the bread off of the meat and sometimes removing it). This leaves an empty space between the two layers (bread) that can fill with blood under pressure (septal hematoma). This can cause the layers to erode and open the... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

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