title: Incidence and clinical background of posttonsillectomy bleeding related blood transfusion over 12 years.
abstract: Economies in National Health Systems forces ENT surgeons to review their indications for outpatient tonsillectomy. Therefore, it is important to preoperatively identify special risk groups who frequently have extensive posttonsillectomy bleeding with the need of a blood transfusion. Aim of this study was to estimate the incidence for posttonsillectomy bleeding related blood transfusion, to identify risk factors associated with the need for blood transfusion and to release guidelines for posttonsillectomy bleeding of high risk patients. A retrospective study was done on the medical history of 1720 patients who underwent tonsillectomy for chronic tonsillitis between 1982-1993 in the ENT Department at the University of Kiel. The average transfusion rate was 0.52%. End Stage Renal Disease and hypertension combined with a preoperatively decreased Hb and Hct were the risk factors identified leading to a transfusion. These patients should not get a tonsillectomy as an outpatient procedure. The Hb, Hct, PT, PTT, blood type and crossmatch should be drawn and assessed prior to tonsillectomy. We recommend immediate treatment of secondary hemorrhage in those high risk patients under general anesthesia to avoid severe complications.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kiel, Germany. jmeyer@hno.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jeckström
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rudack
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maune
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*