Empty Nose Syndrome: The Tragic Case of Charlie Audes Following Turbinate Reduction and Septoplasty by Maxime Zielinski

Patient case documentation · Empty Nose Syndrome

Charly Audes: Empty Nose Syndrome after radiofrequency turbinate reduction

Charly Audes described severe breathing, sleep, neurological and autonomic symptoms after radiofrequency turbinoplasty in December 2022. His case later included a positive cotton test, an ENS diagnosis and experimental PRP treatment.

Charly Audes was a 30-year-old father of two from France. The material preserved on this page includes a message from his sister, Charly’s own written account, a radio program, press coverage and medical details he reported after nasal surgery. He passed away on January 3, 2024.

In memory of Charly Audes (1993–2024)
According to the family material on this page, the turbinate procedure took place on December 6, 2022, and Charly passed away on January 3, 2024.
Source note: This page distinguishes between Charly’s own testimony, family statements, reported medical findings and press coverage. Statements about causation, physiology, individual doctors and treatment effects are attributed to those sources rather than presented here as independently established findings.
NameCharly Audes
Age30 years
ProcedureRadiofrequency turbinoplasty
Procedure dateDecember 6, 2022
ENS assessmentJune 3, 2023
Passed awayJanuary 3, 2024

Family statement and Charly Audes’ background

Charly Audes – Empty Nose Syndrome case after radiofrequency turbinate reduction
Charly Audes. Image preserved with the original case documentation.

Charly’s sister wrote that he was 30 years old, that his operation took place on December 6, 2022, and that he passed away on January 3, 2024. She shared the family material so that others could understand what happened and learn from his experience.

Charly’s own account traces his breathing difficulties back roughly thirteen years, beginning with a deviated nasal septum. He described chronic nighttime nasal obstruction, repeated awakenings, dry mouth, progressive fatigue and poor restorative sleep.

Original French family message concerning Charly Audes and Empty Nose Syndrome
Original French message shared by Charly Audes’ family. Click to open the full-size image.

Charly Audes surgery and ENS timeline

Years before 2022
Persistent septal deviation and sleep-related nasal obstruction

Charly described longstanding nasal blockage when lying down and increasing fatigue. He later underwent septoplasty, but wrote that the internal deviation remained.

2022
Search for another solution

Charly considered further septal surgery and turbinate treatment. He wrote that he was already aware of reports of Empty Nose Syndrome and was concerned about reducing the turbinates.

December 6, 2022
Radiofrequency turbinoplasty

According to Charly’s account, the procedure was performed in Le Havre. He reported being told that the operation would reduce tissue inside the mucosa rather than remove the surface of the turbinates.

January 2023
Major change in breathing and systemic symptoms

Charly described too much air entering the nose, nighttime choking, a persistent “drunk” or dreamlike sensation, visual disturbance, brain fog and escalating physical symptoms.

June 3, 2023
ENT assessment in Paris

Charly wrote that Dr. Ayoun observed an “empty nose” and that a cotton test supported the diagnosis. The press material on the original page states that the inferior turbinates were estimated at approximately 50% of their previous size.

July 3, 2023
Revision septoplasty

Charly underwent another septoplasty to correct the persistent septal deviation that he believed should originally have been addressed instead of reducing the turbinates.

October 2, 2023
PRP treatment

Platelet-rich plasma was injected into the inferior turbinates. Charly reported temporary congestion and some later increase in volume, but insufficient relief from his symptoms.

January 3, 2024
Charly passed away at age 30

The family and newspaper material state that Charly passed away after a prolonged period of severe symptoms that he attributed to Empty Nose Syndrome.

Symptoms Charly reported after turbinate reduction

Charly’s written account described a broad range of symptoms after the December 2022 procedure. The page preserves these as patient-reported experiences.

Excessive airflowHe described too much cold air rushing through the nose and reaching the throat.
Nighttime chokingHe reported waking because of a sensation of choking or abnormal breathing during sleep.
Persistent “drunk” sensationCharly described a continuous dreamlike or intoxicated feeling with visual and cognitive disturbance.
Shallow sleepHe wrote that sleep became superficial and that he dreamed through much of the night.
Higher resting heart rateHe reported an increase from about 55–60 bpm before surgery to roughly 75–80 bpm afterward.
PalpitationsHe described a pounding heart and episodes of chest or heart pain.
Memory and concentration problemsCharly reported cognitive impairment and difficulty focusing.
Headaches and digestive problemsHe also reported persistent headaches and gastrointestinal symptoms.

“I feel too much air rushing into my nose. It lands directly in my throat, which causes me to wake up at night due to choking.”

“I feel like I've had 6 glasses of whiskey all the time. The world around me is blurry, my brain lagging behind my vision.”

Empty Nose Syndrome diagnosis, cotton test and PRP treatment

According to Charly’s account, he initially returned to the ENT who had performed the turbinoplasty and was told that the mucosa appeared to be healing normally. He then underwent additional medical investigations because he considered other explanations for the symptoms.

Charly wrote that a gastroenterologist raised Empty Nose Syndrome when hearing about the recent turbinate procedure. On June 3, 2023, he was assessed by Dr. Ayoun in Paris. Charly stated that the examination and subsequent cotton test confirmed ENS.

The newspaper material reproduced on the original page reports that the clinical and fibroscopic examination described a reduction of the inferior turbinates estimated at approximately 50% of their size and that the wet cotton test supported the diagnosis.

Charly later underwent revision septoplasty and then PRP injections on October 2, 2023. He reported that the turbinates regained some volume, but that the change was not enough to meaningfully relieve the overall symptoms.

Translated radio program about Charly Audes

The video below is the YouTube version supplied for this page. It is fully responsive and fits the width of the website content without covering a sidebar or forcing the page wider.

Press coverage and archived material

The original page includes French and English versions of newspaper coverage about Charly’s case, as well as family photographs and advocacy material. The images below are displayed at large size and can be clicked to open the original version.

Key points preserved from the newspaper coverage

The archived article describes Charly’s longstanding nasal obstruction, a previous unsuccessful septoplasty, the December 2022 turbinoplasty, the development of severe symptoms afterward and later medical assessment for Empty Nose Syndrome.

The article also reports that an ENT assessment in Paris included a wet cotton test supporting the ENS diagnosis and that PRP injections were attempted in October 2023.

The source further discusses French Haute Autorité de Santé recommendations concerning turbinate procedures, including a preference for techniques with lower ENS risk and preservation of at least two-thirds of turbinate structure.

Full Charly Audes documentation

The complete Charly Audes document is available through OneDrive. Instead of embedding it inside the page, the document opens directly in a new tab to avoid iframe restrictions and improve page reliability.

Opens the OneDrive document in a new tab.

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