Coblation® is an advanced technology that combines gentle radio frequency energy with a natural salt solution to quickly and safely remove tissue. Traditional procedures may cause excessive bleeding or use high levels of heat and may cause damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Coblation does not remove tissue by heating or burning, leaving the healthy tissue surrounding the target tissue unaffected. For many patients, the innovative approach of Coblation results in minimal pain and rapid recovery.
Tonsillectomies and Adenoidectomies
According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies (or adenotonsillectomies when performed together) are the second most common operation performed on children. Approximately 600,000 tonsillectomies are performed annually on children and adults. Introduced in 2001, Coblation® Tonsillectomy is rapidly becoming the standard of care, with more than 30 percent of tonsillectomies now performed using the procedure.
Many conventional tonsillectomy devices burn or cut tonsil tissue, and can cause heavy bleeding and extensive pain for the patient. With Coblation Tonsillectomy, children in clinical studies have been shown to experience less pain and recover more quickly than those who received traditional tonsillectomies.
The tonsils may be removed for two main reasons including obstruction and chronic infection. In the past, tonsils and adenoids were commonly removed as a treatment for chronic infection or tonsillitis. Today, 75 percent of adenotonsillectomies are performed to remove enlarged tonsils causing obstruction to the airway, which can lead to sleep-disordered breathing.
Symptoms of obstruction vary from child to child and can include sleep-disordered breathing, snoring, loud and/or labored breathing, lower cognitive functioning, daytime sleepiness, severe difficulty swallowing, or mouth breathing.
Recent studies have shown that after undergoing adenotonsillectomy for obstructive symptoms, children showed reduced symptoms of ADHD and daytime sleepiness and higher cognitive functioning one year following the procedure.
Nasal Airway Obstruction
Nasal airway obstruction is a serious annoyance. Blocked nasal passages force you to breathe through your mouth, making simple, everyday activities such as eating, speaking, and sleeping more difficult. Often the cause of nasal airway obstruction is enlarged turbinates. Turbinates are small, bony structures located in the nasal passages that are covered with mucous membranes.
Turbinate Reduction
Traditional medical therapy, including allergen/irritant avoidance and/or use of nasal medications, may be sufficient to address turbinate enlargement. In some cases, however, turbinate enlargement is unresponsive to medical management. Surgical procedures, such as Coblation® turbinate reduction, that reduce the size of the obstructing turbinates can not only improve symptoms, but can also allow medical management to be more effective.
Coblation is an advanced technology that quickly and effectively removes and shrinks soft tissue inside the turbinates using gentle radio frequency energy and natural saline to alleviate nasal obstruction in patients. Coblation is not a heat-driven process. As a result, surrounding healthy tissue is preserved allowing for a fast and easy recovery. This quick outpatient procedure takes less than 10 minutes. Patients typically return home shortly after the procedure, and can experience a 50% reduction in nasal airway obstruction within one week
Benefits of Coblation Treatments
Results of clinical studies confirm that children whose tonsils were removed by the Coblation Tonsillectomy procedure experienced less pain and recovered more quickly — including returning to a normal diet three times faster — than those who underwent other techniques.
Instead of the prolonged recovery period (up to two weeks) common with other tonsillectomy methods, studies have shown that Coblation patients are back to their normal diet more quickly, in 2.4 days versus 7.6 days on average, reducing the risk of dehydration and rapid weight loss.
Coblation Tonsillectomy typically takes about 20 minutes to perform and has a lower incidence of postoperative complications versus older tonsillectomy procedures. According to one published study, doctors received 59 percent fewer patient calls or visits for complications during days one through 14 post-surgery with Coblation Tonsillectomy versus tonsillectomy with electrocautery.
Adenoidectomy has traditionally been performed using a device called a curette followed by cautery to cut and burn tissue to control bleeding. In contrast, Coblation adenoidectomy provides the surgeon with a better field of vision, allowing for a more precise and controlled method of removing tissue with less damage to surrounding areas.
