Prospective study of the use of vasoconstrictor and saline in septal surgery for infiltration

Abstract

AbstractVasoconstrictor agents are often used to reduce bleeding and hence improvethe operative field in surgery. These agents are potentially dangerous. A trial was undertaken to compare the use of adrenaline 1:80,000 with saline alone as an infiltrating agent in 30 consecutive patients undergoing septoplasty under general anaesthesia. This study, based on a small number of patients can draw no firm conclusions. There are no really dramatic differences between 1:80,000 adrenaline and saline, in terms of blood loss, operative time and the condition of the operative field between the two groups. However, there is a possibility that there are substantial differences, which, because of the variability of these outcomes, could not be detected in a study as small as this. It is recommended that a randomized trial involving patients is used to answer the question.