Prophylactic Antibiotics After Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: a Randomized, Double-blind Placebo Controlled Trial

Phase 4

Completed

Brief Summary: Surgeons commonly prescribe post operative prophylactic antibiotics after sinus surgery. There is minimal data to support this. The investigators' study will aim to demonstrate that patients' quality of life and rate of post operative infection is the same whether they receive or do not receive antibiotics post operatively. The investigators hypothesis is that the disease specific quality of life of patients taking post-operative antibiotics is not inferior to the quality of life of patients who do not take post-operative antibiotics, and the rate of post-operative infections are the same. The investigators' specific aim is to compare validated symptom scores between post-operative populations who are given or are not given antibiotics. Rates of infections in the first 10 days after surgery will be recorded. The investigators will also compare endoscopic grades of sinus cavities during the post-operative follow up exams as an additional outcome measure.

Detailed Description: Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a commonly performed procedure in the United States to treat chronic rhinosinusitis. Common practice is to prescribe prophylactic antibiotics postoperatively. This is similar to the long tradition of prophylactic antibiotics after tonsillectomy. The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery recently strongly recommended against prophylactic antibiotics after tonsillectomy. In this light, this study would demonstrate the lack of need for antibiotics after FESS. Currently one surgeon does not prescribe antibiotics except when evidence of active infection was found during surgery. The other surgeon in the study currently prescribes antibiotics. This study would prospectively compare the two groups in a randomized fashion. The investigators' plan to use the Sinonasal outcomes test - 22 (SNOT-22) as the investigators' primary outcomes measure, which is a validated quality of life instrument in sinusitis.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Patients eligible for surgery would be patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (defined by the AAOHNS 2007 consensus statement by Rosenfeld et al) and have been determined by their surgeons to have persistent symptoms after maximal medical therapy. Maximal medical therapy is defined as a course of broad spectrum or culture-directed antibiotics used in conjunction with a nasal steroid.

Exclusion Criteria

Penicillin, cephalosporin, amoxicillin/clavulanate allergy
Cystic Fibrosis
Immunodeficiency
Presence of any foreign body (ie.absorbable and non-absorbable packing) after surgery
Odontogenic causes of sinusitis
Fungal ball
Infected mucocele
Complication of sinusitis (meningitis, orbital complication, cellulitis, brain abscess)
Non endoscopic sinus surgery (Caldwell luc, external approaches, etc)
Age <18
Pregnant women

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate	Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate	All patients in the study will undergo endoscopic sinus surgery. This arm will receive 7 days of augmentin (amoxicillin-clavulanate) 500mg orally twice a day after surgery.
Placebo	Placebo	All patients in the study will undergo endoscopic sinus surgery. This arm will receive 7 days of placebo orally twice a day after surgery.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sinonasal Outcome Test - 22	Six weeks post operatively	The sinonasal outcome test -22 (SNOT-22) is a validated instrument for measuring quality of life outcomes in chronic sinusitis. Snot-22 scores can range from 0 to 110. Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Lund Kennedy Endoscopic Score	Six weeks postoperatively	The Lund Kennedy endoscopic score is a grading system for visually evaluating patient's sinus cavities before and after surgery. It has five measures to score (polyps, edema, discharge, scarring, and crusting). Scores range from 0 to 20 with higher scores indicating greater sinus disease.