Muhammad Junaid Alam, Amer Sabih Hydri, Furqan Mirza, Madiha Sami, Faran Nasrullah, Zulfiqar Ahmed.
Conventional anterior nasal pack versus a modified ventilated nasal pack: effect on patients` anxiety.
Isra Med J Jan ;11(2):77-80.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of locally fabricated ventilating nasal packs with traditional nasal packs in reducing anxiety following nasal packing. Study Design: Prospective Comparative study. Place and Duration: Department of ENT, Military Hospital Sialkot and Shorkot from 1st December 2017 to 15th May 2018. Methodology: A total of 80 patients planned for Septoplasty were enrolled and divided into two groups `A` and `B`. Group A patients were packed with traditional nasal packs while the patients of Group B were packed with locally fabricated nasal pack following surgery. Anxiety in both groups was documented using Hamilton anxiety rating scale(HAM-A) 1 hour before surgery; 24 hours following surgery just before pack removal and 1 hour after nasal pack removal. Results: The mean HAM-A assessment scores in both groups peaked at the 24 hours reading, with group `A` (17.08+-0.66) higher than group `B` (16.55+-1.06). The lowest scores in both groups were documented one hour after pack removal. There was statistically significant difference among both groups recorded immediately before the nasal pack removal. Anxiety level in group B (Ventilated nasal packs) was lower than group A (Conventional nasal packs) (p<0.0004) which is statistically significant. Conclusion: Following nasal surgery, the use of Ventilated nasal packs is preferable over conventional nasal packs as they cause considerably less anxiety especially in apprehensive patients.

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