How to Improve Sleep Apnea With Nasal Surgery
Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing for at least 10 seconds while asleep. There are several types of apnea according to the specific cause of breathing difficulty. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common types of apnea and may occur when there is a physical obstruction within the nasal cavity. There are a variety of treatments for sleep apnea and severe cases may require surgery.
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Instructions
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Perform a turbinectomy. This procedure is the removal of swollen soft tissue within the nose, known as turbinates. This may include a variety of specific tissues such as the nasal septum, the adenoids or nasal polyps. These tissues are normal parts of the anatomy and are only referred to as turbinates when they begin to obstruct nasal breathing.
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Select the procedure to remove the obstructive turbinate. A turbinectomy refers only to the objective of the surgery and there are a variety of specific techniques that may be called turbinectomies. The surgeon bases this decision primarily on the tissue to be removed as well as the patient's specific anatomy.
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Use a microdebrider for most turbinectomies. The surgeon will typically use a small, high-speed cutting device known as a microdebrider to shave soft tissue. The surgeon will insert the microdebrider into the nose, which will quickly and accurately remove bone or soft tissue. The primary advantage of the microdebrider is that it leaves the adjacent soft tissue intact.
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Use a computer tomography (CT) scan with the turbinectomy. This guided imaging system will allow the surgeon to visualize the surgical site clearly.
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Control the bleeding after surgery. The traditional approach is to pack the nose for several days after the surgery. A more modern approach is to use a coagulating agent called costasis on the surgical site immediately after surgery.
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