Does rhinoplasty require an assistant?

Thank you for your question. In my opinion, rhinoplasty is not a one-person intervention. While the assistant is often the scrub nurse, this arrangement can mean the nurse is required to perform two separate roles simultaneously. To optimise the process, having a dedicated surgical assistant—whether a nurse or another surgeon—is highly valuable.

A surgical assistant plays a crucial role in providing exposure to the treatment area, enabling the surgeon to gain better access and allowing them to use both hands effectively for the required work. This significantly enhances the precision and efficiency of the procedure.

Additionally, the assistant helps manage the small drops of blood that accumulate around the treatment area, which can otherwise obstruct visibility. By keeping the area clear, they ensure the surgeon can focus fully on the technical aspects of the rhinoplasty without interruption.

Pretty much every surgery in the world is done with at least one assistant, unless it is an extremely small case, and even then it would be pretty rare as it is much more efficient to the surgeon and the patient to have an assistant. Basically, there's just not enough that can be done with two hands alone so you need at least another set of hands to help assist in the case, be it passing instruments, loading up sutures, holding skin away so you can use your hands to suture, etc.