Post-operative Pain Control With Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen After Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

The safest and most effective post-operative pain control regimen after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) has been the subject of persistent debate and research for many years. The main reasons for this debate is due to two factors: 1) endoscopic sinus surgery is a commonly performed as an outpatient procedure by both generalist and sub-specialized Otolaryngologists. Therefore, there is limited controlled data on pain levels and pain control post-surgery. 2) The ongoing opiate crisis in the United States raises concern of over-prescribing narcotic pain medication post-surgery when it is not necessary. Of the 600,000 ambulatory sinonasal procedures performed annually in the United States, over 255,000 are sinus surgeries.1 Coupled with an estimated 2 million Americans suffering from opioid use disorders, there is a necessity for further research into minimizing the use of opioids for pain management as well as for testing non-opioid pain management options for postoperative FESS patients. This study builds on prior research studying optimal non-narcotic analgesia after FESS. A 2018 survey by the American Rhinologic Society showed that over 90% of responders prescribed at least one type of opioid for postoperative pain after FESS. While the majority of Otolaryngologists routinely prescribe opioids, several studies have demonstrated that acetaminophen and NSAIDs can be just as effective in managing postoperative pain in FESS patients. Despite prior concerns that ibuprofen increases risk of epistaxis after FESS, it has been shown that bleeding complications following FESS are negligible. Recent literature in other surgical sub-specialties has shown that scheduled non-narcotic pain medication significantly reduced patient's post-operative pain scores as compared to those taking it on an as-needed basis.6 In Otolaryngology, the practice of scheduled acetaminophen and ibuprofen has been documented to reduce admissions due to post-tonsillectomy pain.7 Despite the rising trend of non-narcotic pain regimens after surgery, the most appropriate method for instituting this in FESS patients has only been briefly evaluated. A 2006 study showed that scheduled medication use versus as-needed modified-release acetaminophen allowed patients to return to normal daily activities more rapidly and with less pain than patients taking post-operative pain medications on an as needed basis. However, this pain regimen did not include NSAIDs, and modified release acetaminophen is not commonly available in the United States. This study will evaluate post-operative pain management in patients undergoing outpatient functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Patients will be randomized into one of two study groups: Group 1: Patients instructed to follow a predetermined post-operative acetaminophen and ibuprofen medication schedule, and Group 2: patients instructed to take acetaminophen and ibuprofen as needed after the onset of pain/discomfort. Additionally, all patients in both study groups will be provided a limited number of narcotic pills (Norco) for pain. Patients will be advised to only take the pills for pain that is not controlled by the post-operative acetaminophen and ibuprofen medications. Pain control will be self-assessed by each patient for the first 10 days after surgery using a validated visual-analog scale (VAS).