New Tonsillectomy Technique Cuts Postoperative Complications by 47 Percent

Results of an independent study demonstrate that intracapsular tonsillectomies, which use a microdebrider, had lower incidences of delayed postoperative hemorrhage and return visits to the hospital or emergency department when compared with traditional electrodissection tonsillectomies.

The incidence of delayed hemorrhage (bleeding more than 24 hours after surgery) was 1.1 percent in the powered intracapsular group as compared with 3.4 percent in the electrodissection group, according to Medtronic. Delayed hemorrhage requiring treatment in the operating room was 0.5 percent and 2.1 percent for the intracapsular and electrodissection groups, respectively.

Treatment in the emergency department or hospital for postoperative pain or dehydration occurred for 3 percent of the intracapsular group and 5.4 percent of the electrodissection group. Eleven, or 0.64 percent, of the intracapsular tonsillectomy patients required revision surgery. Including revision cases and hospital visits for pain, dehydration, and bleeding, complications were 8.8 percent in the total tonsillectomy group and 4.7 percent in the intracapsular group, a 47 percent reduction in complications.

The most significant value is in the decrease in postoperative bleeding, according to researcher Richard Schmidt. These bleeding events are stressful to both the child and parents, and a technique that decreases such events should be strongly considered, he said.