Results of hyperbaric oxygen treatment in an at-risk nasal flap following trauma

Abstract

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) is widely used in otorhinolaryngology for various purposes. A 20-year-old male patient was admitted following a traumatic nasal wound which occurred several hours prior. He had a nasal glass cut from the radix to the supratip area which was primarily closed by non-absorbable suture. The following day, there was a haematoma and necrosis of the skin. The haematoma was drained under local anaesthesia. Blood supply to the nasal skin was severely compromised and only the columellar artery remaining intact, by definition designating this a difficult to heal wound with the risk of overall healing failure. Necrosis of the skin had developed within the first 24 hours. Accordingly, the patient underwent 30 HBOT sessions (two hours at 253.3 kPa) twice daily for four days and daily thereafter. Antibiotic cover and conservative wound management were also used. Complete healing was achieved without the need for additional surgical intervention. We conclude that timely use of HBOT may be a valuable adjunct to conservative wound management in a case of sharp nasal trauma.