Clinical trial NCT03793816: Tonsillectomy Using BiZact™ - a Randomized Side-controlled Clinical Trial
Official title: Tonsillectomy Using BiZact™ - a Randomized Side-controlled Clinical Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Tonsillitis Chronic
Tonsillectomy
Hemorrhage
Postoperative Pain
Postoperative Hemorrhage
Surgery--Complications
Handling
Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases
Lead sponsor: Medical University of Vienna
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2019-01-04
Enrollment: 48
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 14
Maximum age (years): 85
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Cross-over block design with block sizes of 12, such that after 12 patients every group was chosen three times. 48 patients in 4 groups (BiZactTM first / BiZactTM second, BiZactTM right / BiZactTM left side).
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Tonsillectomies are frequently followed by severe postoperative pain, hence high analgetics consumption and prolonged hospitalization. Also, postoperative hemorrhages can be hazardous. Constant evaluation of surgical techniques is paramount to improve safety and cost-effectiveness. Frequently tonsillectomies are performed in cold steel technique. Aim of this study will be the evaluation of handling, surgical time, postoperative pain and postoperative hemorrhage rates using the BiZactTM-Device in comparison to traditional techniques on the contralateral side. In one patient, two different techniques will be used.

The primary objective will be the surgical time. Regardless of surgeon handedness, surgeons will randomly be assigned to either start with the left or right tonsil, and randomly either to start with the BiZact™ Device or with "cold steel" methods.

Additionally, time to stop bleeding, intraoperative blood loss, tonsil mobility, device handling, as well as wound healing will be assessed.

Detailed description: Although stricter indication criteria have been implanted (especially in Austria since 2008), tonsillectomies are still performed very frequently. Post-surgical bleeding can potentially be life-threatening, and occur within 3 weeks after tonsillectomy. A broad survey in Great Britain revealed a postoperative hemorrhage rate in 33.921 patients between 1.5 and 5.4 %, varying on hospital size. Small collectives also showed rates up to 21.7%.

Worldwide, different techniques are used. Generally, "cold" steel and "hot" techniques can be distinguished, although often current-carrying ("hot") and "cold" instruments are used alternately. Postoperative pain seems to be uninfluenced by technique, whereas postoperative hemorrhage rates seem to be higher in "hot" techniques.

LigaSure® is a bipolar "current-carrying" device, which is able to seal vessels. Simultaneously tissue impedance is measured to control energy application. In this way only the required energy levels are applied. Therefore LigaSure® can also be referred as a "softened hot" technique.

In 2005 Lachanas et al. compared the LigaSure®-technique with the "cold" steel technique in 200 patients and found significantly less postoperative pain in favor of the LigaSure®-technique. Postoperative hemorrhage rates were not higher with LigaSure®. Based on the LigaSure®-scissors, Medtronic introduced a device specifically developed and licensed for tonsillectomies (BiZactTM).

Aim of this study will be the evaluation of handling, surgical time, postoperative pain and postoperative hemorrhage rates in comparison to traditional techniques on the contralateral side. In one patient, two different techniques will be used. This side-controlled evaluation of surgical techniques in tonsillectomies has been proven successfully in previous studies.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 14 and older
* Written informed consent (in case of underage participant also parental informed consent)
* Assigned for Tonsillectomy on both sides due to chronic tonsillitis

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of abscesses in tonsillar region
* Coagulation disorder (as assessed by a coagulation questionnaire and blood results)
* Suspicion of untreated malignancy of any kind
* Planned removal of only one tonsil

Primary outcomes:
measure: surgical time
timeFrame: 1 hour (intraoperative)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Time to stop bleeding
timeFrame: 1 hour (intraoperative)
measure: intraoperative blood loss
timeFrame: 1 hour (intraoperative)
measure: Postoperative pain assessment
timeFrame: Day of surgery until 2 months after surgery
measure: Wound healing
timeFrame: approx. 10 days after surgery
measure: Tonsil mobility intraoperatively
timeFrame: intraoperative
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Vienna
country: Austria
facility: Medical University of Vienna
Study officials:
References:
citation: Österreichische Gesellschaften für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie und Kinder- und Jugendheilkunde. Joint recommendation on tonsillectomy. Monatsschrift Kinderheilkunde. 2008;156(3):268-271.
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citation: Sarny S, Habermann W, Ossimitz G, Schmid C, Stammberger H. Tonsilar haemorrhage and re-admission: a questionnaire based study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2011 Dec;268(12):1803-7. doi: 10.1007/s00405-011-1541-y. Epub 2011 Mar 4.
citation: Dadgarnia MH, Aghaei MA, Atighechi S, Behniafard N, Vahidi MR, Meybodian M, Zand V, Vajihinejad M, Ansari A. The comparison of bleeding and pain after tonsillectomy in bipolar electrocautery vs cold dissection. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2016 Oct;89:38-41. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2016.07.022. Epub 2016 Jul 26.
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citation: Izny Hafiz Z, Rosdan S, Mohd Khairi MD. Coblation tonsillectomy versus dissection tonsillectomy: a comparison of intraoperative time, intraoperative blood loss and post-operative pain. Med J Malaysia. 2014 Apr;69(2):74-8.
citation: Chettri ST, Bhandary S, Nepal A, et al. A single blind controlled study comparing bipolar elecrocautery tonsillectomy to cold dissection method in pediatric age groups. Health Renaissance. 2014;11(3):270-272.
citation: Bijur PE, Silver W, Gallagher EJ. Reliability of the visual analog scale for measurement of acute pain. Acad Emerg Med. 2001 Dec;8(12):1153-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2001.tb01132.x.
citation: Besser G, Grasl S, Meyer EL, Schnoell J, Bartosik TJ, Brkic FF, Heiduschka G. A novel electrosurgical divider: performance in a self-controlled tonsillectomy study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Apr;279(4):2109-2115. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-07008-9. Epub 2021 Aug 2.