The infusion drain: An Approach to Treatment of Intranasal Abscesses

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Nasal septal abscesses are associated with a high level of morbidity from cartilage loss and may even be life threatening due to intracranial spread of the infection. It is generally agreed upon in the literature that treatment of these abscesses should not be delayed. Standard treatment involves incision and drainage of the abscess, with or without drain placement, and culture-directed antibiotic treatment. Previous reports favor treatment of intranasal abscesses either in the operating room or under moderate sedation with local anesthetic. Here, we describe a novel method for bedside drainage and treatment of nasal septal abscesses without the need for sedation or general anesthetic. The technique presented has been used across all age groups at our institution to effectively treat several nasal and septal abscesses as well as an intranasal hematoma.