A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of Post-Operative Steroids After Sleep Surgery
Medical University of South Carolina
Summary
The primary objective of this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study will be to determine if postoperative steroids significantly improve subjects' pain compared to a placebo after undergoing sleep surgery. The secondary objective is to determine if this same course of steroids improves how quickly subjects can tolerate a regular diet after surgery. Further, another secondary objective is to see if this will decrease a patient's postoperative narcotic usage. Investigators also will assess sleepiness, nasal breathing, and eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) after the procedure using the validated measures Preoperative Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation Survey (NOSE), and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7) with an objective to see if these improve more or quicker in patients who receive postoperative steroids. Investigators hypothesize that postoperative steroids will significantly decrease a patient's pain quicker in their recovery, allow them to tolerate more oral intake early in their recovery, allow them to tolerate a regular diet earlier in their recovery, and reduce their postoperative narcotic usage. Investigators hypothesize that postoperative steroids will also improve patients' ESS, NOSE, and ETD scores postoperatively, but Investigators do not believe postoperative steroids will affect the oropharyngeal bleeding rate of patients. This study will provide pilot data to determine if postoperative steroids and what dosage should be part of a standardized postoperative regimen in patients undergoing sleep surgery.
Description
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a multifactorial disease that negatively affects almost every system in the body. While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can be used as an effective treatment, there are many reasons that patients cannot tolerate CPAP, including claustrophobia, rhinitis sicca, ineffectiveness, and manufacturer recalls that most recently have even been fatal. Therefore, sleep surgery continues to be an increasingly utilized treatment option for patients with OSA who cannot tolerate or obtain CPAP. However postoperatively, patients typically complain of significant pain…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults 18 years or older * Undergoing sleep surgery, specifically palatopharyngoplasty, tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy, uvulectomy, hypoglossal nerve stimulation, genioglossal advancement, or maxillomandibular advancement * Ability to complete all study questions in English Exclusion Criteria: * Any self-reported allergies to corticosteroids * Intra-operative surgical or anesthetic complication * Pre-operative steroid use (defined as any steroid use greater than three days duration within 30 days prior to sleep surgery) * Inability to perform study due to…
Interventions
- Drug8mg dexamethasone
Minimal research exists on how to treat pain, odynophagia, and dysphagia in sleep surgery patients. One study by Williams et al. evaluated the use of a one-time dose of intravenous or intramuscular dose of steroids versus placebo after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty but did not find a clinically significant difference between the two groups postoperatively. However this study mentioned that their current intervention was too short and that a longer-term steroid intervention could be beneficial. This is the goal of this intervention.
Location
- Medical University of South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina