Effect of nasal packing with merocel on postoperative comfort in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis

Objective To observe the effect of nasal packing with merocel on postoperative comfort in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis. Methods Patients with chronic sinusitis who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery were selected and randomly divided into observation group (packed with merocel for hemostasis) and control group (packed with gelatin sponge for hemostasis) using a random number table method, with 71 cases in each group. The degrees of nasal swelling pain and headache, nasal ventilation status (nasal airway resistance, degree of nasal obstruction), nasal bleeding, compliance scores, total discomfort scoresVisual Analogue Scale (VAS), endoscopic Lund-Kennedy scores, and scores of related treatment indicators (infection, nasal meatal adhesion, patency of ostium, granulation hyperplasia) were compared between the two groups. Results The degrees of nasal swelling pain, headache and the degree of nasal obstruction at 24 h postoperatively in the observation group were milder than those in the control group, the nasal airway resistance was lower, and degree of nasal bleeding at 48 h postoperatively in the observation group was milder than that in the control group(P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative compliance scores between the two groups (P>0.05). The total discomfort VAS score and endoscopic Lund-Kennedy score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the scores of indicators related to infection, patency of ostium, and granulation hyperplasia at 4 weeks postoperatively between the two groups (P>0.05). The score of nasal meatal adhesion in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion As a nasal packing material after endoscopic sinus surgery, merocel can more effectively alleviate postoperative discomfort such as pain and nasal obstruction, reduce the risk of early bleeding and long-term nasal meatal adhesion, and improve postoperative comfort.