Preoperative external nasal compression: does it decrease emergence agitation after nasal surgery?

Background Emergence agitation after nasal surgeries in adults is common. Acute postoperative nasal obstruction with nasal packing is an important factor in developing agitation after nasal surgeries. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative nasal obstruction by means of external nasal compression on the incidence of emergence agitation after nasal surgeries. Methods Sixty patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists I or II between 20 and 45 years of age who were scheduled for nasal surgery were randomly assigned into three equal groups: the control (C) group, the T10 group, in which nasal compression was carried out for 10 min, and the T30 group, in which nasal compression was carried out for 30 min preoperatively. All patients received the same anesthetic technique. The incidence of agitation, and recovery characteristics were evaluated during emergence. Patient satisfaction was evaluated 24 h after surgery. Results There was a significantly lower incidence of emergence agitation and fentanyl consumption during the emergence period in the T30 group. Moreover, patient satisfaction with recovery was significantly higher in the T30 group. Conclusion Elective preoperative external nasal obstruction may decrease the incidence of emergence agitation and improve patient satisfaction with recovery after nasal surgery.