Goret-Tex Nose Tip Infection

Question

Doctor first put ear cart. and 1 small piece of gore-tex in my tip, and as little hole was shown he put another small piece of gore-tex in short period.It was red, painfull and swollen, and he gave me antibiotics. After I started to take antibiotics, pain immediately stoped and swelling has gone down, but redness did't..Is it possible that redness is because of my multiple touching the same part of the nose? Will I have to take it out or there is the chance that redness go away with time?

Umang Mehta, MD · Answer

The first step in treating an infection in the nose following synthetic implant (e.g. Gore-tex) placement is to treat the patient with antibiotics. If the redness persists, unfortunately there is a very high likelihood that the implant would need to be removed.

Jamil Ahmad, MD · Answer

It is worrisome when you have redness associated with a nasal implant. It is likely an infection and requires antibiotics. In many cases, even antibiotics cannot resolve a nasal implant infection and it will ultimately require removal. If the nasal implant is removed, it is usually better to avoid placing any further implant or cartilage graft material during the same surgery. You should typically wait several months for the infection to completely resolve, the swelling to decrease and the scar tissue to soften prior to any further surgery in the area.

Sam Naficy, MD, FACS · Answer

As stated by others typically when a synthetic implant is infected it needs to be removed - antibiotics will often make things better but as soon as they are stopped the symptoms return

Thomas A. Lamperti, MD · Answer

The redness is likely related to the infection of the area. Depending on how long ago you completed the antibiotic course, you may need to have the gortex removed if the redness doesn't improve.

Kevin Sadati, DO · Answer

Dear rhinoplasty patient from Bulgaria,
	The appropriate approach is to treat the infection with oral antibiotics first. If the redness and swelling subsides, your surgeon must monitor you closely to ensure correct healing process. However, persistent redness will leave no choice but removal of the synthetic implant. Good luck and good healing

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS · Answer

Any infected implant of any type, regardless of location, must be removed to cure the infection in virtually all cases. Of course, antibiotics are a reasonable first step, since it may be the skin or soft tissues that are infected, and not the implant. But once antibiotics have been tried and failed, more or stronger antibiotics are usually not the answer--implant removal is.

	Of course, touching the incision repeatedly is NOT recommended, and may be part of the reason it got infected in the first place. Stop touching your nose and see you surgeon promptly! Good luck!

Goret-Tex Nose Tip Infection

Answers (11)