5 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Study objective is to provide prospective randomized controlled data on pediatric pain levels found in PlasmaKnife tonsillectomy and monopolar tonsillectomy.
The purpose of the study is to determine if tonsillectomy eliminates symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and marked tonsillar hypertrophy with normal soft palate and uvula length.
The ultimate goal of this work is to establish a method for control bleeding after tonsillectomy in awake children. Treatment of post-tonsillectomy bleeding in children typically requires general anesthesia with currently used electrocautery techniques. Micropolysaccharide hemosphere technology is a unique absorbable agent that helps clot form. These hemospheres consist of 100% purified plant starch that enhances natural clotting by concentrating blood solids such as platelets, red blood cells, and blood proteins on the particle surfaces to form a gelled matrix. This device provides painless, non-irritating control of bleeding, and has been used effectively for control of nosebleeds in awake adult patients. This device, however, has not been tested in the tonsillar fossae in children; thus, this study is performed to determine if at least 50% of children with bleeding tonsillar fossae can be spared rescue treatment with electrocautery.
The goal of this treatment study is to determine if doing lateral pharyngoplasty with tonsillectomy is better for children than doing tonsillectomy alone. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do children experience less pain after surgery when lateral pharyngoplasty is performed with tonsillectomy compared to tonsillectomy alone? * Do children eat/drink better when lateral pharyngoplasty is performed with tonsillectomy compared to tonsillectomy alone? * Is there a lower risk of bleeding after tonsillectomy when lateral pharyngoplasty is performed? Researchers will compare children undergoing tonsillectomy and lateral pharyngoplasty with children undergoing tonsillectomy alone to see if the participants experience less pain, better oral intake, and less bleeding complications after surgery. Parents of participants will be asked to record pain scores and pain medications given, approximate amounts of daily oral intake, and any complications after surgery.
Pain after tonsillectomy can be severe and last ten days. Various new surgical instruments have been developed over the years in an attempt to reduce postoperative pain with mixed results and increased costs; no single tonsillectomy technique is superior to the rest. Patients are discharged to home usually on the day of surgery and often suffer significant pain and nausea. Pain medication is often prescribed which can cause nausea, vomiting and constipation. Children in pain are reluctant to take in fluids and may require intravenous hydration at an emergency department. "Battlefield acupuncture " has been recently developed by the US Air Force and is now being used in Iraq and Afghanistan on wounded warriors suffering severe acute pain from trauma. This protocol consists of five acupuncture points on the outer ear. A recent study has demonstrated decreased pain and agitation in children undergoing ear tube insertion. Ear tube patients have mild discomfort compared to tonsillectomy patients and are able to attend school the next day. The investigators have been encouraged by the benefits of acupuncture during surgery for ear tube patients and also wounded warriors recovering from their injuries. These findings motivated us to see if acupuncture during tonsillectomy surgery would result in less pain and nausea.