When is Post-Operative Bleeding Most Likely to Occur after a Tonsillectomy?

Discussion Tonsillectomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the US with pressure equalizing tubes and circumcisions also being among the top procedures. About 500,000 are performed yearly in the US in children under 15 years. Primary indications are recurrent throat infections (e.g. “< 7 episodes in past year, < 5 episodes in the past 2 years, or < 3 episodes per year in the past 3 years.”) and obstructive sleep apnea. Potential complications include: *Pain – treated with ibuprofen or acetaminophen as the first choice and other medications as needed. Pain control also decreases the risk of dehydration from poor oral intake *Structural edema – usually occurs in first few hours, dexamethasone is often given during surgery to help treat this and prevent nausea and emesis Direct trauma to oral and head and neck structures Airway and lung complications Nausea, emesis, dehydration Hemorrhage Infection – is always a possibility, but usually is not treated presumptively Delayed feeding Speech disorders Death *=some occurs with almost all patients because of the type of procedure. Hemorrhage or bleeding can range from mucous tinged secretions to severe bleeding. Most is minor but even with episodes that resolve or where a clot is seen, severe bleeding can still occur in the future. History of number of episodes, estimated blood volume seen, bleeding duration, time since last bleeding episode along with detailed family ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news