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 research. This prospective study will compare post-operative pain control when managed either by a defined medication schedule or medication taken on an as-needed basis after functional endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis. Prior to surgery, patients will be randomly selected to be in one of two treatment arms. One group will receive instructions to take specific medications (acetaminophen and ibuprofen on a specific schedule post-operatively. The second treatment groups will be instructed to take the same medications but on an as needed basis for pain. Patients will also be provided with an option of a limited supply of narcotic analgesics for pain should they be needed. Post-operative pain control will be assessed by the patient with a pain-diary documenting perceived levels of pain for 10 days post-operatively using a validated visual analog scale. At the conclusion of the study the records of medications taken along with pain responses will be compared between groups