What technique should the nurse used to examine the sinuses of a client with a sinus infection?
Acute sinusitis; Sinus infection; Sinusitis - acute; Sinusitis - chronic; Rhinosinusitis Sinusitis is present when the tissue lining the sinuses become swollen or inflamed. It occurs as the result of an inflammatory reaction or an infection from a virus, bacteria, or fungus. Does it feel like someone is pressing down hard on your forehead? Do you feel intense pain and pressure behind your eyes? You could have sinusitis, swollen, inflamed sinuses caused by an infection. Let's
talk about sinusitis. These are your sinuses, the passageways that lie behind your forehead, eyes, and cheeks. They're lined with mucus membranes, which produce the mucus, or snot, that flows freely from your nose when you're sick. So, what causes sinusitis? Normally, air moves through your sinuses like this. But if you have a cold, allergies, or a condition that prevents the little hairs in your sinuses from sweeping out mucus, you could end up with too much of the sticky stuff. That extra
mucus can block your sinuses, like this. Then, bacteria and other germs can start to grow inside your sinuses, leading to that pain and pressure you feel. If your symptoms go away within a month, you've got acute, or short-term sinusitis. But if they last three months or longer, you've got chronic sinusitis. That means your pain and pressure will stick with you, unless you get treated. What are the signs of having sinusitis? If you've just gotten over a cold or other illness and your forehead
and eyes are throbbing with a pressure-like pain, you could have sinusitis. Other signs are tenderness in your face or teeth, fever, tiredness, cough, and a stuffed nose. Your doctor can often tell whether you have sinusitis by looking in your nose, shining a light against your sinuses, or tapping over the area to look for signs of swelling and infection. If your doctor thinks you may need surgery for your sinusitis, or the diagnosis isn't clear, you could also have an x-ray, CT, or MRI scan.
There's a good chance your infection will go away on its own if you have acute sinusitis. But if it lingers and you're running a high fever or you're in a lot of pain, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. You can manage your sinusitis at home with a few easy tips; Hold a warm, moist washcloth to your face a few times a day; Drink extra water and other fluids to thin out your mucus; Breathe in the steam from a hot shower AND Use a Neti pot or saline nose spray. After three months if you're
still dealing with sinusitis symptoms, your doctor may recommend seeing an ear-nose-and-throat doctor. You might need surgery to drain your clogged sinuses. Most of the time, sinusitis goes away on its own without any treatment. To prevent your sinuses from getting clogged in the first place, avoid getting colds and other infections. Avoid exposure to allergens or irritants, such as tobacco smoke. Eat a healthy diet filled with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. Get your annual flu shot and
wash your hands throughout the day to avoid germs. When you do get sick, consider decongestant sprays to shrink the linings in your nose and sinuses, and drink plenty of fluids to keep mucus moving along. The sinuses are hollow cavities within the facial bones. Sinuses are not fully developed until after age 12. When people speak of sinus infections, they are most frequently referring to the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses. Sinusitis refers to inflammation of the sinus cavities, which are moist, hollow spaces in the bones of the skull. There are four pairs of sinuses. They are the frontal sinuses, maxillary sinuses, ethmoid sinuses, and sphenoid sinuses (not shown in illustration).
If the opening from a sinus cavity becomes plugged, the flow of mucus is blocked and pressure builds up, causing pain and inflammation. The sinuses are
surrounded by bone and cartilage and lined with a mucous membrane. Sinusitis occurs when the membranes becomes inflammed and painful, which may be a result of a blocked sinus opening. Chronic sinusitis is often caused by inflammation and blockage due to physical obstruction such as a deviated septum, misformed bone or cartilage structures such as the nasal conchae (turbinates), or blockage by nasal cysts or polyps. Allergic reaction can be provoked by skin contact with poison plants, chemicals and animal scratches, as well as by insect stings. Ingesting or inhaling substances like pollen, animal dander, molds
and mildew, dust, nuts and shellfish, may also cause allergic reaction. Medications such as penicillin and other antibiotics are also to be taken with care, to assure an allergic reflex is not triggered. What in the world is a neti pot? I'm Dr. Alan Greene and I want to show you this simple device that has been used in a natural way to help deal with nasal congestion, sinus congestion, and allergies. Here's an example of the pot. They come in different brands and generic. What you do is you fill it with luke warm water and empty
some packets of saline in there so it's a medicated rinse, saline rinse. Then you will want to get over a sink, bend over the sink and stick the pot into your nostril so that you get sort of a seal. And then of all things, you turn your head to the side until one nostril is right above the other while breathing through your mouth. Don't inhale. Don't snort. And what will happen is that it will wash through your sinuses and around and start dripping out the other nostril into the sink. When
you're done, exhale and you have rinsed the inside of your nasal passages. Repeat on the other side as necessary. Does it feel like someone is pressing down hard on your forehead? Do you feel intense pain
and pressure behind your eyes? You could have sinusitis, swollen, inflamed sinuses caused by an infection. Let's talk about sinusitis. These are your sinuses, the passageways that lie behind your forehead, eyes, and cheeks. They're lined with mucus membranes, which produce the mucus, or snot, that flows freely from your nose when you're sick. So, what causes sinusitis? Normally, air moves through your sinuses like this. But if you have a cold, allergies, or a condition that prevents the little
hairs in your sinuses from sweeping out mucus, you could end up with too much of the sticky stuff. That extra mucus can block your sinuses, like this. Then, bacteria and other germs can start to grow inside your sinuses, leading to that pain and pressure you feel. If your symptoms go away within a month, you've got acute, or short-term sinusitis. But if they last three months or longer, you've got chronic sinusitis. That means your pain and pressure will stick with you, unless you get treated.
What are the signs of having sinusitis? If you've just gotten over a cold or other illness and your forehead and eyes are throbbing with a pressure-like pain, you could have sinusitis. Other signs are tenderness in your face or teeth, fever, tiredness, cough, and a stuffed nose. Your doctor can often tell whether you have sinusitis by looking in your nose, shining a light against your sinuses, or tapping over the area to look for signs of swelling and infection. If your doctor thinks you may
need surgery for your sinusitis, or the diagnosis isn't clear, you could also have an x-ray, CT, or MRI scan. There's a good chance your infection will go away on its own if you have acute sinusitis. But if it lingers and you're running a high fever or you're in a lot of pain, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. You can manage your sinusitis at home with a few easy tips; Hold a warm, moist washcloth to your face a few times a day; Drink extra water and other fluids to thin out your mucus;
Breathe in the steam from a hot shower AND Use a Neti pot or saline nose spray. After three months if you're still dealing with sinusitis symptoms, your doctor may recommend seeing an ear-nose-and-throat doctor. You might need surgery to drain your clogged sinuses. Most of the time, sinusitis goes away on its own without any treatment. To prevent your sinuses from getting clogged in the first place, avoid getting colds and other infections. Avoid exposure to allergens or irritants, such as
tobacco smoke. Eat a healthy diet filled with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. Get your annual flu shot and wash your hands throughout the day to avoid germs. When you do get sick, consider decongestant sprays to shrink the linings in your nose and sinuses, and drink plenty of fluids to keep mucus moving along. The sinuses are air-filled spaces in the skull. They are located behind the
forehead, nasal bones, cheeks, and eyes. Healthy sinuses contain no bacteria or other germs. Most of the time, mucus is able to drain out and air is able to flow through the sinuses. When the sinus openings become blocked or too much mucus builds up, bacteria and other germs can grow more easily. Sinusitis can occur from one of these conditions:
There are three types of sinusitis:
The following may increase the risk that an adult or child will develop sinusitis:
SymptomsThe symptoms of acute sinusitis in adults very often follow a cold that does not get better or that gets worse after 7 to 10 days. Symptoms include:
Symptoms of chronic sinusitis are the same as those of acute sinusitis. However, the symptoms tend to be milder and last longer than 12 weeks. Symptoms of sinusitis in children include:
Exams and TestsThe health care provider will examine you or your child for sinusitis by:
The provider may view the sinuses through a fiberoptic scope (called nasal endoscopy or rhinoscopy) to diagnose sinusitis. This is often done by doctors who specialize in ear, nose, and throat problems (ENTs). Imaging tests that may be used to decide on treatment are:
Most of the time, regular x-rays of the sinuses do not diagnose sinusitis well. If you or your child has sinusitis that does not go away or keeps returning, other tests may include:
TreatmentSELF-CARE Try the following steps to reduce stuffiness in your sinuses:
Be careful with use of over-the-counter spray nasal decongestants such as oxymetazoline (Afrin) or neosynephrine. They may help at first, but using them for more than 3 to 5 days can make nasal stuffiness worse and lead to dependence. To help ease sinus pain or pressure:
MEDICINE AND OTHER TREATMENTS Most of the time, antibiotics are not needed for acute sinusitis. Most of these infections go away on their own. Even when antibiotics do help, they may only slightly reduce the time it takes for the infection to go away. Antibiotics are more likely to be prescribed sooner for:
Acute sinusitis should be treated for 10 to 14 days. Chronic sinusitis should be treated for 3 to 4 weeks. At some point, your provider will consider:
Other treatments for sinusitis include:
Surgery to enlarge the sinus opening and drain the sinuses may also be needed. You may consider this procedure if:
Most fungal sinus infections need surgery. Surgery to repair a deviated septum or nasal polyps may prevent the condition from returning. Outlook (Prognosis)Most sinus infections can be cured with self-care measures and medical treatment. If you are having repeated attacks, you should be checked for causes such as nasal polyps or other problems, such as allergies. Possible ComplicationsAlthough very rare, complications may include:
When to Contact a Medical ProfessionalCall your provider if:
A green or yellow discharge does not mean that you definitely have a sinus infection or need antibiotics. PreventionThe best way to prevent sinusitis is to avoid colds and flu or treat problems quickly.
Other tips for preventing sinusitis:
ReferencesDeMuri GP, Wald ER. Sinusitis. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 62. Murr AH. Approach to the patient with nose, sinus, and ear disorders. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 398. Pappas DE, Hendley JO. Sinusitis. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 408. Rosenfeld RM, Piccirillo JF, Chandrasekhar SS, et al. Clinical practice guideline (update): adult sinusitis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;152(2 Suppl):S1-S39. PMID: 25832968 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25832968/. Version InfoLast reviewed on: 4/13/2020 Reviewed by: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Which technique should the nurse use to examine the sinuses?What technique should the nurse use to examine the sinuses of a client with a sinus infection? Press up on the brow on each side of the nose to palpate the frontal sinus. An elderly client diagnosed with sinusitis undergoes a transillumination test to detect the presence of fluid or pus in the maxillary sinus.
How do you examine a sinus infection?You'll get a spray that numbs your nose. The doctor will then insert a thin flexible device called an endoscope inside your nose. The instrument has a tiny lens at one end, which shows a detailed look at your sinuses. Sometimes, you may need to get a CT scan to look for more serious inflammation deep in your sinuses.
What examination methods are usually used to diagnose sinusitis?CT scans are most effective for diagnosing chronic sinusitis.
What technique is best for viewing maxillary sinuses?CT scanning is painless, noninvasive and accurate. It's also the most reliable imaging technique for determining if the sinuses are obstructed and the best imaging modality for sinusitis.
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