Prevention and Treatment of Infection in Rhinoplasty

Overview

Infection after rhinoplasty is uncommon but can destroy both the result and the nasal structure. Paun and Yip review the bacteria involved, who is at risk, how infection presents, and evidence-based prevention and treatment. No patient series is reported.

Sections of note

• Reported infection rates: 0.2% to 2%.
• Higher risk in revision cases and when grafts or implants are used.
• Prevention emphasis: patient selection, perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis, meticulous technique, careful graft choice.
• Practical algorithms for diagnosis and management are presented.

What it means for a patient

• Infection affects roughly 1 in 50 to 1 in 500 rhinoplasties, more often after revisions or with synthetic implants.
• Early signs (increasing redness, pain, discharge, fever) need prompt attention because grafts can be lost.
• Antibiotic use around surgery is a judgment based on risk, not automatic.

Why this paper matters

It is a current reference on a complication that surgeons often under-discuss. Limits: review, no data.

Terms

• Prophylaxis: preventive antibiotic treatment around the time of surgery.
• Alloplastic implant: a synthetic implant such as silicone, which carries higher infection risk than the patient's own cartilage.
• Graft: cartilage or other tissue placed to support or shape the nose.
• Cellulitis: spreading skin infection, one presentation of post-rhinoplasty infection.