Novel device superior to traditional rinse bottle for nasal irrigation in sinonasal diseases

China: A new study published in Journal of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery showed that an innovative irrigation device outperformed the traditional rinse bottle in terms of nasal irrigation efficiency. A continuous water stream directly upwards to the anterior part of the olfactory cleft combined with an extended nozzle overcoming the flow-limiting effect of the nasal valve encourages nasal irrigation efficiency.

Saline irrigation's capacity to remove mucous and the flow-limiting impact of the nasal valve have not been thoroughly investigated. As a result, Dawei Wu and colleagues undertook this study to assess the removal effectiveness of an unique irrigation device with an expanded nozzle vs a traditional rinse bottle.

3D printing was used to create translucent casts of the unoperated sinonasal cavity for this investigation. To imitate mucus, yogurt was used. The cast was set in six different head positions and irrigated with 120 ml, 175 ml, and 240 ml coloured water via the innovative mechanism and the rinse bottle. The irrigation effectiveness was calculated by dividing the weight of yogurt washed away by the total weight of yogurt.

The key findings of this study were as follows:

1. The irrigation flow of a long nozzle with a side aperture differed from the irrigation stream of the nasal vestibule exit.

2. The innovative gadgets demonstrated a continuous water stream directed directly upwards to the anterior region of the olfactory cleft. When the cast was watered with 120 ml or 175 ml water, the new devices easily achieved an irrigation efficiency of 100 percent depending on different head locations.

3. When the cast was irrigated with 240 ml water beneath each head position for the rinse bottle, there was still a minor bit of yogurt remaining in the olfactory cleft.

4. The irrigation efficiency was volume-dependent, with the rinse bottle's average irrigation efficiency at 240 ml only reaching 69.1%.

In conclusion, Nasal irrigation efficiency is enhanced by a continuous water stream directed upwards to the anterior region of the olfactory cleft, paired with an expanded nozzle that overcomes the flow-limiting effect of the nasal valve. More research is needed to evaluate therapy efficacy, patient comfort, and safety in the clinical context.

Reference:

Wu, D., Chang, F., Hong, J., Su, B., & Wei, Y. (2022). A novel irrigation device with superior nasal irrigation efficiency to the classic rinse bottle. In Journal of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40463-022-00575-9