Open AccessLocal Anesthetic Nasal Polypectomy: The Patient Perspective
Author(s) -
Green Richard,
Blackmore Kate,
Hogg Richard,
Kara Naveed
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
otolaryngology–head and neck surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.232
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1097-6817
pISSN - 0194-5998
DOI - 10.1177/0194599811415823a413
Subject(s) - medicine , polypectomy , anesthetic , patient satisfaction , surgery , anesthesia , local anesthesia , colorectal cancer , colonoscopy , cancer
Objective Assess patient satisfaction with endoscopic nasal polypectomy carried out under local anesthesia. Patient consultation allows us to review and amend practice and is a fundamental aspect of clinical governance, hence ensuring good medical practice. Method A 16‐point questionnaire was sent to all patients who underwent the procedure over a 2‐year period. They were asked about previous operative history, quality of operative information given, level of pain and how well it was managed, effectiveness of procedure on their symptoms, and overall perception of the experience. Results Of 32 patients the response rate was 81%. Half of the patients had previously had nasal polypectomy under general anesthetic. Ninety‐four percent felt their pain was dealt with appropriately, and all patients were discharged uneventfully within 6 hours. Ninety‐two percent reported symptomatic improvement and were happy with the procedure. All but one of the patients preferred avoiding a general anesthetic, and 88% would happily have the procedure performed again under a local anesthetic. Conclusion We demonstrate a high level of overall patient satisfaction with this procedure, and conclude that endoscopic nasal polypectomy can be safely and effectively carried out as a day‐case local anesthetic procedure. This is in keeping with the Department of Health proposals to maximize day‐surgery, and it also represents significant cost savings.