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What Are Nasal Stents?

Birth defects and trauma after birth can cause nasal deformations in children. Some deformations are visible on the child's face, like a cleft lip, while other deformations you can detect by observing the child's breathing. Consult a specialist after detecting a deformation. If your doctor thinks plastic surgery is necessary to correct the deformity, then your child may have to wear nasal stents during the healing process.

  1. Use

    • Doctors insert stents into your child's nose after plastic surgery to correct conditions like choanal atresia, choanal stenosis and piriform aperture. Stents are small tubes that will fit into the nostrils and give support to the cartilage during healing. Stents will force the nose to keep its new shape and size while your child heals. Doctors can either tape or stitch stents into the nose to hold them in place.

    Care

    • Children generally need to wear stents for about 12 hours a day for three months after surgery. If the doctor stitches your child's stents into place, then the doctor will remove the stents after a week, but your child may need temporary stents thereafter. To care for stents, place a few drops of saline solution into each nostril every three to fours hours to remove nasal drainage. Rinse stents thoroughly under running warm water after you remove them, and store them in a special container.

    Placing Stents

    • If your child only has to wear stents part of the day, then you will have to place them in and remove them. To place stents in, insert them gently but firmly in each nostril with the stent facing right-side up. Wiggle the stent from side to side if needed to get it in place. The stent must fit entirely into the nostril. If you are unsure about these steps, then contact your doctor.

    Symptoms of Complications

    • There can be complications when your child wears stents. If your child's nose starts running during the first two weeks, then contact your doctor. Also, if your child runs a fever over 100 degrees, becomes irritable, develops a rash around the lip or nose area or refuses to drink, then contact your doctor.

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