Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy – What You Need to Know
Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are among the most common major surgeries performed on children, and they’re also very common in adults as well. Unfortunately, many people forget, or fail to heed the warnings, that these surgeries can have complications. As with any surgery, it’s vitally important to research any possible complications, precautions and other related information before reaching the operating table.
Children stayed overnight in the past, but in most cases these days, a tonsillectomy is done as an outpatient procedure where the child only stays in recovery for 3 – 4 hours after the surgery and is then released from the hospital.
There are many different ways the tonsils can be removed. The equipment used can be a harmonic scalpel, knife, electrocautery, coblation tonsillectomy and laser. The most widely used techniques are hot or cold tonsillectomy. The cold dissection is done using a surgical knife. The hot dissection is done with electrocautery. Both dissection methods have advantages and disadvantages. The cold dissection however is less painful. The method used is not as important as the experience of the doctor doing the procedure. Do some research and make sure to get the doctors success rates. This is one surgery that you need to make sure the person doing the procedure is highly qualified with excellent feedback.
Possible Complications During Tonshillectomy / Adenoidectomy Surgery
Some of the complications of a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy can include:
- Bleeding occurs in 1% – 4% of patients who go through a tonsillectomy. This can be extremely scary and if there is even a trace of blood in the saliva make sure to get the patient to an emergency room. It could be that the scab from the tonsillectomy is becoming dislodged and causing some minor bleeding. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
- Reduced speech occurs in 1 out of 3000 patients. This is more common in patients with mental retardation and craniofacial deformities.
- Electrocautery burns and chipped teeth can occur. This is why you need to make sure the doctor performing the tonsillectomy is competent with great recommendations.
- Death – this is the most devastating complication and can occur as a result of massive hemorrhaging or anesthetic complications.
Fortunately the above mentioned complications are rare, and in most cases patients who undergo a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy will have no complications. With today’s incredible advances in medical technology, procedures such as these are becoming safer and faster than ever before.
Photo: Flickr
August 20th, 2009 at 10:17 am
It is important to keep in mind that an adenoidectomy is controversial in children because usually it is supposedly only required when the airway is blocked or in adults in the case of cancer. Similarly the tonsillectomy is supposed to be performed when the tonsils are enlarged and prevent breathing. When I was growing up, the doctors were recommending the procedure for most children. I had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy performed at the same time as a child. I had none of the problems mentioned previously and the surgery was only “preventative” in nature. Given that a 2004 report in the British Medical Journal indicated that most tonsillectomies are unnecessary, it is important to find out why your doctor is recommending the surgery.