Word parts
nas/o nosesept/o dividing wall
What it means
The septum runs down the middle of the nasal cavity. If it leans to one side (a deviated septum), it can block breathing through one nostril, and surgery to straighten it is called septoplasty. Many nosebleeds come from small blood vessels at the front of the septum.
For the nurse
Check the septum and nostrils for pressure damage from nasogastric tubes and nasal oxygen tubing. For a nosebleed, have the client sit up, lean forward and pinch the soft part of the nose for 10 to 15 minutes.
At a glance
| Spanish | tabique nasal |
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Related terms
nas/o
A word part that means nose.
epistaxis
Bleeding from the nose; a nosebleed.
nasal cavity
The space inside the nose, behind the nostrils, through which air passes on its way to the throat.