Does your child need a tonsillectomy?

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire Tonsillectomies are one of the most common surgeries performed on children — but the decision to do one should not be taken lightly. In 1965, there were about a million tonsillectomies (with or without adenoidectomy, a surgery often done at the same time) performed on children younger than 15 years old. By 2006 that number had dropped by half, and by 2010 it had dropped by half again. Why the drop? Well, complications are common. In fact, one in five children who have a tonsillectomy has a complication. The most common is breathing difficulty, which can affect one in 10. Bleeding affects one in 20, and can happen days after the surgery, after a child has gone home. While the complications are treatable and death is very rare, it’s clearly an operation that should only be done when truly necessary. There are two main reasons to do a tonsillectomy, but neither is black and white. Each patient and each situation is different. It’s important to understand the gray area (there is a lot of it) in order to make the best decision. The first reason for tonsillectomy: obstruction Tonsils (and adenoids) can grow large enough to block the airway, making it difficult to breathe. This can be especially noticeable when a person is lying down, such as during sleep, when gravity brings the tonsils down onto the airway. This leads to a condition called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can be serious and lead to health and behavioral problems in children...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Ear, nose, and throat Parenting Surgery Source Type: blogs