Post-tonsillectomy complications in children less than three years of age: a case-control study

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the need for post-tonsillectomy admission in children under the age of three years.

Design: A retrospective case-control study.

Method: Medical records of 127 children under the age of three years who underwent tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy were reviewed for complications and compared to 127 gender-matched controls between three to four years of age.

Results: Overall complication rate in the study group was 9.4% (12 of 127). Early complications (3.1%) were respiratory related, while late complications (6.3%) were due to dehydration and hemorrhage. Comparable complication rate was observed in the control group (8.7%, P>0.05); early complication rate of 3.1% and late complication rate of 5.5% was ascertained. Similar types of complications occurred in the control group.

Conclusions: Post-tonsillectomy complication rates were low and no significant difference was observed between the study and control groups. This suggests that postoperative admission for children younger than three years of age may not be necessary in all cases.

Keywords: Admission criteria; Complications; Guidelines; Postoperative management; Tonsillectomy.