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Effect of Ketorolac on Post Adenotonsillectomy Pain

Phase 4
Completed
Conditions
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Interventions
Drug: Standard of Care
Registration Number
NCT03467750
Lead Sponsor
Emory University
Brief Summary

This randomized prospective study aims to determine the effect of ketorolac on the total dose of morphine required to achieve postoperative analgesia in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Participants will be randomly assigned to a study group where they will receive ketorolac in addition to the standard of care treatment or will receive only the standard of care pain management. The researchers hypothesize that by administering ketorolac at the end of the procedure once hemostasis has been achieved, it will be possible to decrease the amount of morphine administered in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). This study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the efficacy and safety of the current standard post-operative analgesic regimen employed at the study institution, in which opioid analgesia currently plays a prominent role.

Detailed Description

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as an indication for adenotonsillectomy has increased significantly over the past ten years, and now has surpassed recurrent tonsillitis as the most common indication for this procedure. Opioids continue to be the most commonly administered pain medication for these procedures. Studies have shown that patients with OSA have significantly increased sensitivity to opioids that results in post-operative respiratory depression and apnea when administered via standard opioid dosing protocols. Children with OSA were shown to have a nearly fivefold increase in the odds of developing respiratory complications when compared to their counterparts with tonsillitis. Ketorolac possesses similar efficacy to morphine without the problematic complications of respiratory depression, nausea and vomiting, which are commonly seen post-adenotonsillectomy. Importantly, when combined with opioids, ketorolac is opioid-sparing. This synergistic effect means that a similar level of analgesia is achieved using a lower dose of opioid. However, there continues to be concern about using ketorolac due to the potential risk of post-operative bleeding from anti-platelet activity.

This randomized, prospective study aims to determine the effect of ketorolac on the total dose of morphine required to achieve postoperative analgesia in children with OSA undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive ketorolac or to not receive ketorolac. The post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses, who will be blinded to ketorolac administration, will evaluate the patients using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale scores at 10 minutes post-op, 20 minutes post-op and at time of PACU discharge. For patients with a FLACC score of 6-10, morphine (0.05mg/kg) will be administered. For patients with FLACC scores of 3-5, morphine (0.025mg/kg) will be administered. The total amount of opioid required to obtain a FLACC score of less than 3 will be evaluated as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes to be evaluated will be PACU FLACC scores, time required in PACU, incidence of post-tonsillectomy bleeding and total pain medications administered during hospital admission.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
63
Inclusion Criteria
  • Diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea
  • Children undergoing elective tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston location
  • Parent or legal guardian willing to participate, and able to understand and sign the provided informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
  • Known coagulation defect
  • Patients on longstanding NSAID therapy
  • Known renal impairment

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
KetorolacStandard of CareParticipants randomized to the ketorolac group will receive 0.5mg/kg IV at the end of the adenotonsillectomy procedure, once hemostasis has been achieved
Standard of CareStandard of CareParticipants randomized to this group will receive the pain management standard of care for the adenotonsillectomy procedure.
KetorolacKetorolacParticipants randomized to the ketorolac group will receive 0.5mg/kg IV at the end of the adenotonsillectomy procedure, once hemostasis has been achieved
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) Morphine RequirementsUntil PACU discharge (up to 261 minutes)

The total postoperative morphine dosage required to achieve analgesia (defined as a Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Scale score of less than 3) in children with obstructive sleep apnea undergoing adenotonsillectomy was compared between study arms to examine the effect of ketorolac administration.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Scale Score10 minutes post-op, 20 minutes post-op, PACU discharge (up to 261 minutes)

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) nurses evaluated the patients using Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Scale scores at 10 minutes post-op, 20 minutes post-op and at time of PACU discharge. Each category is scored as 0 (no indication of pain), 1 (indication of moderate pain), or 2 (visibly experiencing severe pain). Total scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating more pain.

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) Recovery TimeUntil PACU discharge (up to 261 minutes)

The duration of time that a participant was in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), following surgery, measured in minutes.

Number of Participants With Post-Tonsillectomy BleedingUp to 14 days after surgery

Participants were monitored via medical chart review for post-tonsillectomy bleeding.

Pain Medication AdministrationSurgery through hospital discharge (up to post-operative day 2)

The total amount of pain medications administered during hospitalization was examined.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, Egleston

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Atlanta, Georgia, United States

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