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Preventing Infection of Nasal Surgery

Nose surgery procedures are typically performed for patients who suffer from repeated sinus infections and nasal congestion. There are many other medical conditions that can cause a patient to need nasal surgery. Plastic surgeons take precautions to reduce the chances of infection, but there are many variables, as well as things the patient can do to help prevent infection.

  1. Wash Your Hands

    • You will most likely be advised to wash your hands several times a day to prevent infection following nasal surgery. Hand-washing is considered to be the No. 1 method of preventing infection. Guidelines include washing hands before and after daily tasks, such as after sneezing, eating and using the restroom. You should carry antibacterial hand sanitizer for times when you cannot stop to wash your hands. Washing hands with warm water is best, as cold water may not be very effective in cleaning the hands and hot water can be drying. When washing hands, the patient should be lathering and scrubbing with soap for at least 30 seconds. Make sure to thoroughly scrub between fingers and under fingernails. Rinse well, starting with the wrist area. Use a washcloth or a paper towel to turn the faucet off. Spray the faucets and door handles throughout the house down regularly with disinfectant, such as Lysol, which also kills quite a bit of bacteria.

    Proper Wound Care

    • This is the next step to infection prevention. You might have gauze in place to absorb excess bleeding. The gauze can typically be removed within two days of the surgery if the bleeding has subsided. Once the dressings have been removed, the wound should be cleaned using a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide twice a day. A Bacitracin ointment can be applied up to twice daily if crusting appears.

    Bathing

    • You will be able to bathe after the surgery, but should keep your wound dry. When taking a shower or bath, take care not to splash water on the dressing. If the dressing becomes wet, make sure to gently pat dry immediately. If some sort of infection occurs, you should call your doctor.

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