Purpose

Given the ongoing national opioid epidemic, an increased interest has developed in optimizing opioid prescribing practices of physicians, including otolaryngologists. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is one of the most commonly performed surgeries by otolaryngologists with over 250,000 ESS's performed annually in the U.S. Multiple studies have shown that, compared to the amount patients actually consume, otolaryngologists prescribe a high quantity of opioids to patients recovering from ESS). It has been shown that these excess opioid medications contribute to prolonged use or abuse by the patient, family members, or friends. The purpose of this study is to better understand the pain management requirements of patients who undergo ESS for recurrent acute rhinosinusitis (RARS) or chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This prospective, randomized, multi-institutional controlled trial will aim to determine the degree to which pain following ESS can be adequately controlled by non-opioid medications. It will also determine whether post-ESS narcotic use can be avoided entirely, or at least significantly limited. Patients will be randomized into two groups, each of which will receive a stepwise analgesic regimen consisting of acetaminophen and oxycodone or acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Pain will be assessed daily using visual analog scales (VAS) and the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). The results of this study will help to develop a standardized approach to pain management in the post-ESS setting and help to elucidate the role of non-opioid pain medications. The ultimate goal would be to positively affect opioid prescribing patterns among surgeons who perform ESS in order to significantly reduce the quantity of opioids prescribed to patients while continuing to adequately manage patients' pain.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • 18 years or older - English-speaking - Scheduled to undergo endoscopic sinus surgery for sinusitis (CRSwNP, CRSsNP, or RARS) - Can commit to follow up for at least one postoperative visit

Exclusion Criteria

Patients undergoing a septorhinoplasty (septoplasty permissible if patient will also undergo sinus surgery) - Doyle splints to be used - Alcohol or opioid use disorder - History of chronic pain disorders - Regular use of acetaminophen/NSAIDS (>4x per week) - Patients who use narcotics or neuromodulating drugs (e.g. gabapentin, nortriptyline)more than 2x per week on average. - Gastrointestinal ulcers or bleeding - Chronic kidney disease/known decreased renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60) - Liver cirrhosis or other hepatic impairment - Prior adverse reaction to opioids or NSAIDS - Other contraindications to any drug classes in either group.

Study Design

Phase
Phase 4
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Patients will be randomized into one of two groups: one will receive acetaminophen and oxycodone while the other will receive acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and oxycodone.
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Experimental group
Patients in the experimental group will be asked to start with acetaminophen (650mg tablet by mouth every 6 hours) when they are in pain. If they still require additional analgesics, the second-line medication is ibuprofen (600mg tablet by mouth every 6 hours). Oxycodone (5mg tablet by mouth every 4 hours) will be the third-line medication to be used if acetaminophen and ibuprofen do not sufficiently control the pain.
  • Drug: OxyCODONE 5 Mg (milligram) Oral Tablet
    Oxycodone will be the second-line treatment in the control group and the third-line treatment in the experimental group.
  • Drug: Ibuprofen 600 Mg (milligram) Oral Tablet
    Patients in the experimental group will receive ibuprofen 600mg as the second-line analgesic.
  • Drug: Acetaminophen 650 MG (milligram) Oral Tablet
    All patients will receive acetaminophen as the first-line analgesic.
Active Comparator
Control group
Patients in the control group will be asked to start with acetaminophen (650mg tablet by mouth every 6 hours) when they are in pain. If they still require additional analgesics, the second-line medication is oxycodone (5mg tablet by mouth every 4 hours).
  • Drug: OxyCODONE 5 Mg (milligram) Oral Tablet
    Oxycodone will be the second-line treatment in the control group and the third-line treatment in the experimental group.
  • Drug: Acetaminophen 650 MG (milligram) Oral Tablet
    All patients will receive acetaminophen as the first-line analgesic.

More Details

Status
Completed
Sponsor
Stanford University

Study Contact

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.