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Physical characteristics of commercial and home-made nasal lavage solutions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2013

N Lilic ,
S Waldvogel-Thurlow  and
R G Douglas
N Lilic
Affiliation:
Department of ORL Head and Neck Surgery, Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand
S Waldvogel-Thurlow
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
R G Douglas*
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Richard G Douglas, Department of Surgery, The University of Auckland, Grafton, Auckland 1023, New Zealand Fax: +64 9 377 9656 E-mail: richard.douglas@auckland.ac.nz
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Abstract

Introduction:

Nasal saline lavage forms a cornerstone of chronic rhinosinusitis management. A number of saline lavage recipes and products are currently available but little is known of their relative physical characteristics.

Aims:

To determine the osmolarity and pH of nasal lavage solutions, both commercial preparations and home-made recipes, and to determine the reproducibility of saline solution preparation.

Methods:

Five home-made recipes and two commercial products were prepared in triplicate and analysed. Eight consecutive clinic patients prepared a commercial product and 11 prepared a home-made recipe, and the osmolarity and pH were measured.

Results:

The osmolarity of the solutions varied widely, from 140 to 788 mmol/l and the pH varied from 7.88 to 8.50. The commercial and home-made solutions had similar reproducibility when prepared by patients.

Conclusion:

Some recipes were markedly hypo-osmolar and some were hyper-osmolar. All were slightly alkaline. The home-made recipes had similar physical characteristics and reproducibility to commercial preparations.

Keywords

Nasal LavageSinusitisTherapeutic Irrigation
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 128 , Supplement S1 , January 2014 , pp. S40 - S43
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2013 

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