HONEY for the treatment of POst-Tonsillectomy pain
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Honey for treatment of POst-Tonsillectomy pain (HONEY-POT study)
IRAS ID
323188
Contact name
George Mochloulis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 5 days
Research summary
This clinical trial aims to study the effects of Manuka honey on post-tonsillectomy pain and post-operative outcomes. Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the UK. It can be a painful operation to recover from, particularly in adults. Amongst the recognised complications, poor oral intake secondary to uncontrolled pain can result in re-admission to hospital, development of localized infection and subsequent bleeding. Post-operative analgesia involves regular simple analgesics including paracetamol, ibuprofen and topical analgesics. Commonly, opioid based analgesics such as codeine, tramadol and oramorph are needed in the post-operative period. Whilst these are generally effective, they can be associated with significant side effects and prolonged use is not recommended. The most recent PROSPECT (Procedure-specific postoperative pain management) guideline for tonsillectomy published in 2021, represented an international, multidisciplinary collaborative effort describing recommendations for effective pain management following tonsillectomy. Based on systematic review of the current literature, they recommend analgesic adjuncts such as post-operative honey could provide significant improvements in post-operative pain scores as well as provide opioid sparing benefits. This is a powerful mandate for further research into the routine clinical usage of honey as an adjunct to post-tonsillectomy pain management. To date there have not been any placebo controlled, randomised clinical trials comparing the effectiveness of oral honey in post-tonsillectomy pain control in the UK. We aim to research whether this simple intervention can significantly reduce pain scores in the post-operative period as well demonstrate opioid sparing activity. All adult patients undergoing bilateral tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy would be eligible for this study. This study will be open for 2 years and at a single NHS recruitment site.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/YH/0140
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion