Evaluation of time of nasal packing after nasal surgery: A randomized trial

A randomized, prospective trial was carried out to compare the rate of hemo rrhagic complications after removal of nasal packing left for 24 and 48 hou rs, A total of 104 patients underwent nasal surgery and were randomly assig ned to 1 of 2 groups: group 1, 24 hours of nasal packing; group 2, 48 hours of nasal packing. No statistical difference was observed between the group s in terms of occurrence of hemorrhagic complications, Hypertension was the only prognostic factor for postoperative bleeding. The routine use of 48-h our postoperative nasal packing after nasal surgery is not justified becaus e of the low incidence of bleeding and the potential associated morbidity, At the end of the procedure, surgeons should evaluate the risk of postopera tive bleeding (ie, presence of hypertension) and decide whether 24-hour nas al packing is enough.