Comparative Study of Tympanic Membrane Regeneration Therapy for Chronic Otitis Media.

The opioid epidemic remains a pressing public health crisis in the United States. Last year, approximately 82,138 drug overdose deaths were recorded by the CDC, of which 52,335 were opioid related []. Beyond the devastating effects on people, the opioid crisis carries significant economic consequences, with the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee estimating a $1.5 trillion burden in 2020 attributable to the opioid epidemic as a whole, an increase of 37% since 2017 [, ]. Among the many contributors to opioid exposure, perioperative prescriptions for pain management play a significant role, with persistent postoperative opioid use continuing to be one of the most common and adverse long‐term risks of surgery []. The COVID‐19 pandemic further exacerbated this trend by delaying elective procedures, leading to increased opioid prescriptions and usage in the interim [, ]. In response to the opioid crisis, healthcare systems have adopted strategies to reduce opioid reliance after surgery, including enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways, improved provider education, and increased training on safe administration of analgesics []. Multimodal pain regimens, which combine a variety of analgesic medications with different mechanisms of action, have become a widely adopted standard of care []. This approach provides effective pain relief while minimizing side effects associated with any single agent [, ]. Among nonopioid agents, nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used in multimodal pain regimens. Celecoxib, a selective COX‐2 inhibitor, has gained increasing attention for its role in postoperative pain control. Studies have demonstrated that celecoxib can reduce opioid consumption and improve recovery following different surgeries [, ]. A recent meta‐analysis involving patients undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) showed significantly less postoperative pain in patients who used celecoxib compared with placebo groups []. Furthermore, in regard to the side effect profile of celecoxib, one study evaluating children who underwent tonsillectomy showed that celecoxib has not been associated with an increased risk of bleeding compared to acetaminophen postoperatively []. While these findings are promising, the effectiveness of celecoxib and influence on opioid consumption after oropharyngeal procedures in adults, particularly after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) with tonsillectomy, remains underexplored.