Cold dissection versus bipolar cauterizing tonsillectomy for bacteriemia.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to compare transient bacteriemia ratios between cold dissection tonsillectomy and bipolar cauterizing tonsillectomy, and also to analyze the bacteria detected with superficial/central tonsillar cultures.


METHODS
A total of 86 patients that were grouped as 46 patients of cold dissection tonsillectomy and 40 patients of bipolar cauterizing tonsillectomy were included in this study. Preoperative surface swab cultures, intraoperative central swab cultures of tonsils, and preoperative and postoperative blood culture samples were obtained. Antibiotic sensitivity tests were determined. Fischer exact chi 2 test was performed to compare the results of postoperative bacteriemia of both techniques statistically.


RESULTS
Postoperative bacteriemia was detected in 6 (13%) patients of cold dissection tonsillectomy group. In 5 (83.3%) of the 6 postoperative bacteriemia patients of cold dissection tonsillectomy group, isolated microorganism was confirmed both in the blood cultures and in the central swab cultures of tonsils, and resistance to penicillin was established. No patient of bipolar cauterizing tonsillectomy group appeared with postoperative bacteriemia. There was a statistically significant difference (P=.028) for postoperative bacteriemia between cold dissection tonsillectomy group and bipolar cauterizing tonsillectomy group.


CONCLUSIONS
We recommend bipolar cauterizing tonsillectomy for high-risk patients.
Kocaturk
Sinan
S
Medical Faculty of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Department, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
Yildirim
Altan
A
Demiray
Tayfur
T
Bahar
Gul
G
Bakici
M Zahir
MZ
D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003452:Cryosurgery; D004564:Electrocoagulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000382:microbiology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012008:Recurrence; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000379:methods*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome