| Sub-title | |
| Authors | M Fiorentino H Borg Xuereb M Said |
| Abstract | Introduction: Haemorrhage is the most common complication after tonsillectomy. It requires re-admission of the patient to hospital, most commonly for observation, but active intervention is sometimes needed. Method: The notes of 1464 patients who underwent tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy over a 3½ year period were analysed retrospectively to determine the incidence of post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage and its relationship to pre/peri/post-op antibiotic cover. Results: Secondary haemorrhage occurred in 41 (2.8%) patients. The majority of these, 29 (70.7%) required no active treatment, whilst 12 (29.2%) required further surgery to achieve adequate haemostasis. In 2 cases (4.9%), bleeding was severe and the patient required a blood transfusion. Thirty eight (92.6%) patients who suffered secondary haemorrhage had received pre/peri/post-op antibiotics. Only 3 (7.3%) had not received any antibiotic cover. Conclusion: Antibiotic administration pre/peri/post-tonsillectomy does not influence the incidence of secondary haemorrhage. |
Published in: | |
| Journal | Malta Medical Journal |
| Volume | 18 Supplement |
| Page | |
| Date | 01/12/2006 |
| Link to journal | |
| Key words | childhood leukemia, haemorrhage, post operative antibiotics, tonsillectomy |