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ond follow-up, 25 patients did not experience mother
episode of rebleeding from both sides. Two patients on Problems encountered at home were minimal,
the finger-cot and 6 on the medium-strip had minimal Although 2 patients complained of more pain on merecurrence
of bleeding which were all transient, hence dium-strip side and equal incidence (one each) of minor
did not require special attention,
bleeding leak from both types, statistical evaluation is
obviously not applicable. One problem intrinsic to the
Results from microbiologic studies showed growths standard method of packing, which occurred in 4 pain
46.7% of specimens* coming from the outer surface tients, is the protrusion of the gauze strip into the
of the finger-cot, 67.7% from the inner dressing of the oropharynx when the pack loosens up, Tllis cannot
finger-cot, and 16.7% from the medium-strip gauze, happen in the other method since the dressing is con-
Species of Staphylococcus particularly albus accounted tained within the finger.cot unless the whole pack slips
for 85.7% of the microorganisms isolated from the down into the oropharynx. To avoid accidelatal extrufinger-cot
surface, 61.9% from the inner dressing, and sion of the packs particularly the finger-cot on sneezing
60% from the medium-strip. The rest of the microor- forexample, patients were advised to cover nose with an
ganisms cultured were various species of gram-nega- external dressing at all times.
tive bacilli except for one isolate each of Candida sp.
from the inner dressing and from the medium-strip In our institution, the conventional anterior nasal
gauze,
packs are usually removed on the fifth posl-operative
day since incidence of rebleeding is said to bo high if the
packs are taken out earlier. In this study, both types of
DISCUSSION
nasal packing were removed on the third post-operative
day. Early removal means early patient aelief from
Although the finger-cot method has been known to discomfort and decreased likelihood of other eomplicabe
less traumatic than the standard gauze dressing, con- tions associated with nasal packing.
trolled trials comparing both types are lacking. This
study makes use of each patient as his own control, Indeed all sides from wberethemedium-stripgauze
enabling the examiners to evaluate both types of ante- was removed showed minimal to profuse mbleeding.
rior nasal packing in every aspect at the same instance. When compared to the finger-cot, the form_ is associated
with an overwhelmingly significant greater degree
The insertion of the medium strip gauze was asso- of rebleeding (Wilcoxon matched-pair rank test,
ciated with more pain than that of the finger-cot, which p