Does airway integrated nasal packing after septal surgery improve body oxygenation?

Background: Airway integrated nasal packing reportedly improves body oxygenation after septal surgery. This randomized controlled study examined the effect of airway integrated nasal packing on oxygen saturation. Methods: Eighty patients with septal deviation and hypertrophic turbinate were randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 patients were postoperatively packed with airway integrated Nasopore, and Group 2 patients were postoperatively packed with Nasopore without airway integration. The haemodynamic parameters and SpO₂ (oxyhemoglobin saturation levels when measured using pulse oximetry) were sequentially checked. Nasal pain sensations were recorded using a visual analog scale. Results: SpO₂ was not significantly different between Groups 1 and 2. Nasal pain levels were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 at both 4 (p = 0.034) and 6 (p = 0.001) hours postoperatively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidences of septal haematoma, perforation, or bleeding, or in sequentially checked heart rate, mean blood pressure, or respiration rate. Conclusion: It was not evident that integrated airways improved the reduction of SpO₂. However, Group 1 patients, with integrated airways, had more pain than did Group 2 patients, without integrated airways.