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Post– op oedema |
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Patients must be informed that facial swelling or oedema is a normal reaction of the body to surgery. The severity of the swelling will depend on the difficulty of surgery. Measures to minimize the degree of post-op facial swelling may include: ¨ Careful surgery ¨ Increased operator experience ¨ Steroids ¨ NSAIDs ¨ Ice packs
Steroids Steroids may be useful in dampening the body’s inflammatory response to surgical trauma, hence reducing the amount of tissue oedema. The degree of effectiveness of steroids has never been accurately measured. Steroids are best reserved for difficult and prolonged surgical cases, and should be commenced immediately before surgery and continued for no more than 24—48 hours so that adrenal– pituitary suppression does not occur.
Suggested steroid regime ¨ Dexamethasone 4—8 mg IV intra-operatively, followed by 4mg every 8 hours for 24 hours ¨ Methylprednisolone 100mg IV intra-operatively, followed by 50—100mg every 6—8 hours |
