(A702) A Prospective Assessment of Postoperative Pain and Opioid Use Following Laryngeal Surgery

Introduction: The US opioid epidemic continues to reach unprecedented proportions, driven by both prescription and illicit opioid misuse. Surgeons, including otolaryngologists, play a significant role in contributing to the over-prescription of opioids, particularly for postoperative pain management. In otolaryngology, post operative pain management protocols are variable and often lack standardization, often due to limited data surrounding expected pain levels and pain medication consumption following specific surgeries.

Methods: A prospective cohort study investigating post-operative pain scores and opioid consumption in patients who have undergone microlaryngeal surgery was conducted. Patients were prescribed Tylenol and Oxycodone post-op and were administered a questionnaire to assess pain scores on a 0 to 100 scale and amount of pain medication consumed on post-op days 0-7, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Additional variables such as a qualitative assessment of pain using the validated Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, location of pain, emergency department visits for pain, and intraoperative data such as type of surgery, laryngoscope used, use of injectable steroids or suction cautery, and final pathology were also analyzed. Our study aims to enroll ~100 patients over one year (Jan. – Dec. 2025).

Results: Our study has begun the initial data collection phase. We hypothesize that most patients will report minimal post-op pain that will be controlled with minimal to no use of opioid pain medication and that there will not be a significant difference between pain severity or type of laryngeal surgery performed.

Conclusions: Our investigation aims to add to the literature surrounding reported post-op pain levels and pain medication use in laryngology, influence opioid prescribing patterns, and eventually lead to the formation of a standardized prescribing protocol following microlaryngeal surgery.