Efficacy of PuraSinus Versus Bioresorbable Nasal Dressings

Overview

Postoperative care of patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is important both to minimize discomfort for the patients and to obtain the optimal long-term outcomes. Postoperative sinonasal cavity debridement has been advocated to prevent potential synechiae and sinus ostial stenosis, as well as to improve patient symptoms. Removal of old blood, nasal secretions, crusting, and unabsorbed packing are thought to reduce the inflammatory load, minimize potential for scarring, and allow for improved access of topical medications. However, the debridement procedure can cause bleeding, pain, and discomfort which may interfere with the effective execution of postoperative care. PuraSinus is a novel topical haemostatic agent based on nanotechnologies in the form of a transparent hydrogel suitable for endoscopic use and for which the use in sinonasal surgery could achieve these various goals. The potential of PuraSinus to enhance endoscopic mucosal wound healing may play a role in optimizing patient comfort during postoperative debridements after ESS. However, clinical evidence on its effectiveness in ESS is limited. The investigators aim to perform a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of PuraSinus in improving patient comfort during postoperative debridements among patients who underwent ESS.

Postoperative formation of adhesions, scarring, synechiae, ostial stenosis and edema are major concerns often addressed by the placement of bioresorbable packing intraoperatively. Bioresorbable packing has been demonstrated to decrease the incidence of adhesions and bleeding while improving patient comfort compared to no packing at all. However, bioresorbable nasal dressings oftentimes have not dissolved by the time of the first postoperative debridement 1-2 weeks after the surgery and therefore need to be removed. The removal of bioresorbable packing during postoperative debridements is usually an uncomfortable experience for the patient. An ideal nasal dressing would optimize both patient comfort as well as wound healing. This is a prospective randomized controlled multicenter study at the University of Southern California and Northwestern University that will enroll at least 30 participants who satisfy criteria to compare the efficacy of PuraSinus versus standard of care in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery. The study will utilize an intra-patient control design to assess the safety and efficacy of PuraSinus compared to bioresorbable packing on the contralateral side. The study patients will undergo PuraSinus placement in one nasal cavity following traditional endoscopic sinus surgery. The study is blinded, meaning that patients will be blinded throughout the study duration to which side received PuraSinus placement. The independent surgeon performing review of the video-endoscopies will also be blinded to which side received PuraSinus. The patient will undergo follow-up assessments including endoscopic examination at three (3) post-operative visits at week 1, week 4, and week 12. A postoperative endoscopic debridement of the ethmoid cavities will be performed bilaterally at week 1. Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed during the postoperative visits.