Journal - The Journal of otolaryngology (Canada )

Abstract :

OBJECTIVE: To document the most important postoperative adenotonsillectomy morbidities, with an emphasis on prolonged hospitalization and readmissions. DESIGN: Retrospective chart analysis. METHODS: We reviewed 2067 cases of adenotonsillectomies performed at our institution over a period of 6 years. RESULTS: Of these cases, 1927 patients had undergone tonsillectomy by electrocautery and adenoidectomy by suction-coagulator, of whom 9.3% required admission. The incidence of admissions owing to bleeding was 1.7%, whereas admissions owing to respiratory and gastrointestinal complications represented 3.7% and 5.2%, respectively. Compared with the literature and our institution's previous results, these morbidity values were found to be either comparable or significantly lower (p < .05). CONCLUSION: We attribute this improvement to our use of electrocautery-based techniques not only for tonsillectomy but also for adenoidectomy.