EASE Treatment Course:
- Domestic patients require a total of 2 week stay
- International patients require a total of 3 week stay
Preoperative requirement:
- CT scan
- Covid Test 48 hours prior to surgery
Intraoperative course:
- Surgery duration is approximately 1 hour under IV sedation or general anesthesia
- Discharge within 1 hour after surgery is typical
Postoperative management:
Sleep with head elevated (two pillows so the head is above the heart)
- No nose blowing
- Apply ice to cheeks to reduce minor swelling
- Pain control consists of Ibuprofen (such as Advil) 600 mg every six hours
- Tylenol 350 mg in-between the doses of Ibuprofen
- If pain control is insufficient, eliminate the Tylenol and take the Norco (prescribed)
- Pain medication is typically needed for several days
- No exercise for 1 week but walking is encouraged starting post-surgery day 1
- Soft food diet such as well-cooked pasta, fish, milk shakes and soup for a few days
Expansion course:
- Duration can range between 8-12 weeks
- Expansion starts within 2-4 days of the operation and is usually done 2-3 times per week
- Usually no pain during the expansion but some pressure may be felt
- Twice weekly communication with Dr. Li after returning home is necessary to monitor the expansion progress (for out-of-town patients)
- There is no major dietary restriction during the expansion phase other than avoiding big and chewy food such as bagels, Dutch crunch bread
Consolidation phase:
- Orthodontics can begin during the consolidation phase
- The device needs to remain for 10-12 weeks after the completion of the expansion
- Removal is usually performed under local anesthesia at Sleep Apnea Surgery Center