As the situation deteriorated, Raphaël decided to have a nasal implant with Doctor Gilles Ayoun. This is a common procedure for many people who have had their turbinates resected or reduced. The purpose of the implant is to increase air resistance, improve ventilation, and alleviate nasal dryness.
Doctor Ayoun is known for treating patients who developed ENS after turbinate reduction. In Raphaël’s case, Dr. Ayoun chose to use acrylic implants, often referred to as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a type of plastic commonly used in medical implants.
Why he used this material in the nose is unclear. Typically, implant materials include ear or costal cartilage from the ribs, which have a lower risk of rejection. Unfortunately, Raphaël’s body rejected the acrylic implants, leading to a further deterioration of his condition.
The condition Raphaël had after his nose surgery is called Empty Nose Syndrome. This occurs when the nasal mucosa is injured and the turbinates are reduced in size or removed. It can also result from sinus surgery, rhinoplasty, and septoplasty. The most common procedures causing this condition are turbinate reduction and septoplasty, either combined or separately. ENS is a very serious and debilitating condition, perhaps one of the worst conditions a person can experience. It affects the entire body both physiologically and psychologically. Patients often feel like they cannot breathe properly, even if their nasal passages are not physically obstructed. This leads to significant distress and a severe decrease in quality of life.
Common Symptoms:
• A sensation of suffocation or inability to breathe properly
• Nasal dryness and crusting
• Frequent infections in the nasal passages
• Hyperventilation or Hypoventilation, buildup of blood CO2
• Reduced sense of smell and taste
• Severe insomnia
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to smells, smoke, and airborne particles
• Anxiety and depression due to constant breathing difficulties
Most ENT surgeons do not warn patients about this condition because they rely on performing surgeries as their main task. Surgeons are also free of responsibility when things turn out badly. It is estimated that about 20% of all turbinate reductions performed lead to Empty Nose Syndrome. This number is likely higher when considering all the symptoms a person may experience after a turbinate reduction.
Raphaël, like most other people with ENS, suffered greatly. After his failed implant with Dr. Ayoun, he could no longer cope with suffocation, insomnia, and other ENS problems. At the age of 26, he ended his own life. His death occurred on 7th of March 2013. Raphaël is one of more than 45 people we have tracked who have committed suicide in recent years due to various nasal surgeries that caused Empty Nose Syndrome. These are all people who were not informed about the risks of turbinate reduction and septoplasty.
Many of the patients did not even know that their nasal turbinates would be operated on. The surgeons more or less laugh at the patients when they come back after the operation with ruined noses. Often, they play dumb and say that everything looks fine, even though they know exactly what has been done. In other cases, the surgeons try to manipulate the patients into believing that their problems are psychological.
Society doesn’t care, and many patients become so debilitated that they can no longer work. How long will this continue? How long will society laugh at these patients whose lives have been destroyed? How many more must die like Raphaël before these surgeries are banned? How long will these surgeons go unpunished? Or will it have to go as far as in the case of Lian Enqing in China, where a patient killed the doctor who gave him Empty Nose Syndrome? When will society start listening to the thousands of patients whose lives have been ruined by these operations?
Bellow you find all info we was able to get about Raphaël’s case
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