Hydrogen Saline Speeds Recovery After Sinus Surgery
- Authors
- Ling Jin, Kai Fan, Chunyan Yao, Yongjun Chang, Yang Wang, Jiawei Lu, Shaoqing Yu
- Journal
- Journal of Inflammation Research
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.2147/JIR.S476646
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Chronic Rhinosinusitis
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Rinsing the nose with hydrogen-rich saline after sinus surgery is safer and more effective in reducing symptoms than using normal saline.
Key Finding
Patients using hydrogen-rich saline for nasal irrigation after sinus surgery had significantly lower pain scores and higher rates of complete healing at 12 weeks compared to those using regular saline.
Summary
This study tested whether salt water containing dissolved hydrogen gas could help people recover better after sinus surgery compared to regular salt water rinses. Sixty-one patients who had surgery for chronic sinusitis (long-term sinus inflammation) used either hydrogen-rich saline or regular saline to rinse their nasal passages weekly for 12 weeks. The hydrogen-rich saline group reported less pain and had higher rates of complete healing compared to the regular saline group, with no safety concerns in either group.
Practical Takeaway
This small human study suggests hydrogen-rich saline may help speed recovery after sinus surgery, but the results are preliminary and limited to this specific post-surgical context. More research with larger groups would be needed to confirm these findings and determine if hydrogen-rich saline offers benefits for other sinus conditions.
Abstract
Purpose: The treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is often a difficult and long-term behavior, so it is necessary to seek a local treatment method that can be used for a long time, and is safe and effective. Nasal saline irrigation after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is currently recognized as a local treatment method, but it has no anti-inflammatory, anti-damage, and healing-promoting functions. To investigate the efficacy and safety of hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) for nasal irrigation after CRS surgery. Patients and methods: A total of 61 patients after CRS completed the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to rinse the nasal cavity with HRS or normal saline (NS) after CRS. Participants were followed up once a week for 12 times, and were evaluated with visual analogue score (VAS), 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22), and Lund-Kennedy endoscopy scores (LKES). The primary outcome was the VAS score of patients. Results: After 12 weeks of follow-up, the VAS scores of both groups decreased, and the HRS group (0.52±0.85) was lower than the NS group (1.47±1.55), P=0.005. The total number of cases with complete control (clinical cure) in the short-term efficacy evaluation was more in the HRS group (20/31) than in the NS group (11/30), P=0.03<0.05. No obvious adverse reactions occurred in the two groups during the follow-up. Conclusion: This study found that HRS was more effective than NS alone in nasal irrigation after CRS surgery, and could shorten the time of nasal mucosal healing and epithelialization, with a higher rate of recent complete control.