Complications of paediatric tonsillectomy post-discharge

A post-operative survey of 291 children was conducted to assess morbidity found at home in the first five days post-tonsillectomy. Analgesic requirement (92.4 per cent), signs of distress (90.4 per cent), otalgia (69.1 per cent), halitosis (66.7 per cent) were common. Physical or behavioural changes (36.8 per cent) and secondary haemorrhage (8.9 per cent) were also prominent features. Nausea was reported in 59 children (20.3 per cent) and delayed return to a normal diet which in turn predisposed to secondary haemorrhage. Return to normal diet was independent of pain. General Practitioners were consulted by 60.6 per cent and more than half were prescribed drugs. The presence of an organized clot in the tonsillar fossa (3.45 per cent) post-operatively did not delay discharge from hospital and none of these patients re-presented with secondary haemorrhage. Based on their child's experience in this study, only one third of the parents approved of day-case tonsillectomy in principle, a finding which has implications for the instigation of day-case tonsillectomy procedures.