title: Risk factors for secondary post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage following tonsillectomy with bipolar scissors: four-year retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse risk factors associated with secondary post-operative bleeding when only one technique, namely bipolar scissors, is used.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of all consecutive patients aged six years or older who underwent tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy between 1 December 2010 and 30 November 2014 were retrospectively analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1734 patients were included in the study. A secondary haemorrhage occurred in 208 patients (12 per cent). Patients aged 15 years or older were 4.5 times (95 per cent confidence interval = 2.6-7.9; p < 0.001) more likely to experience secondary haemorrhage. In cases of acute quinsy, patients aged 15 years or older had an 8.1-fold (95 per cent confidence interval = 1.1-59.6; p = 0.02) increased likelihood of experiencing secondary haemorrhage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients aged 15 years or older have a higher risk for bleeding regardless of the primary indication for the tonsillectomy. The risk for secondary haemorrhage does not seem to depend on the primary indication itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Tampere University Hospital,Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harju
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Tampere University Hospital,Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Numminen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004564:Electrocoagulation; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D000039:Peritonsillar Abscess / Q000601:surgery*; D010614:Pharynx; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000601:surgery*; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000379:methods*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Age Groups; Hemorrhage; Risk Factors; Sex; Tonsillectomy