International forum of allergy & rhinology
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Int Forum Allergy Rhinol · Apr 2013
Readability assessment of the American Rhinologic Society patient education materials.
The extensive amount of medical literature available on the Internet is frequently accessed by patients. To effectively contribute to healthcare decision-making, these online resources should be worded at a level that is readable by any patient seeking information. The American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health recommend the readability of patient information material should be between a 4th to 6th grade level. In this study, we evaluate the readability of online patient education information available from the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) website using 9 different assessment tools that analyze the materials for reading ease and grade level of the target audience. ⋯ Online patient education materials on the ARS website are written above the recommended 6th grade level and may require revision to make them easily understood by a broader audience.
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Int Forum Allergy Rhinol · Apr 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialIntravenous tranexamic acid and intraoperative visualization during functional endoscopic sinus surgery: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Bleeding during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) can hinder surgical progress and may be associated with increased complications. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic that is known to reduce operative bleeding. The current study was designed to assess the effect of adjunctive intravenous tranexamic acid on intraoperative bleeding and the quality of the surgical field during ESS. ⋯ Adjunctive intravenous tranexamic acid does not appear to result in a clinically meaningful reduction in blood loss or improve visualization of the surgical field during ESS.
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Int Forum Allergy Rhinol · Apr 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudySingle-blind randomized controlled trial of surfactant vs hypertonic saline irrigation following endoscopic endonasal surgery.
Recent discussion has revolved around formulations of irrigation in the postoperative functional endoscopic sinus surgery patient, specifically the efficacy of emulsion based nasal irrigations. ⋯ There were no significant differences in overall subjective symptoms related to sinonasal disease between S and HS irrigation, but tolerability appeared to be an issue. More patients reported side effects with S irrigation, and 20% receiving S irrigation stopped the solution, compared to none receiving HS irrigation.