Does turbinoplasty increase emergency department visits for epistaxis following endoscopic sinus surgery?

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether turbinoplasty increases the frequency of emergency room visits due to epistaxis following endoscopic sinus surgery. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients who underwent primary or revision endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis between January' 2015 and December' 2021 at the tertiary Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery Center, Saudi Arabia were included. Appropriate regression models were utilized. Results: The incidence of epistaxis among the study population was 36/1,395 (2.9%). Of them, 29/36 (80.6%) underwent turbinoplasty. There was a statistically significant association between gender (p-value < 0.001) and the performance of turbinoplasty with the development of epistaxis post-operatively (p-value = 0.04). Conclusion: This study established a direct connection between turbinoplasty and heightened postoperative epistaxis risk after endoscopic sinus surgery. It emphasized the importance of investigating specific turbinoplasty hemostatic techniques, as these variations could impact complication rates.