The relationship between post-tonsillectomy bleeding and preoperative blood parameters in pediatric patients

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: In our study, the significance of preoperative whole blood and coagulation test values in predicting post-tonsillectomy bleeding were investigated. METHODS: The files of 115 pediatric patients who underwent bilateral tonsillectomy for chronic tonsillitis by the same surgical team between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020, in the ear, nose, and throat clinic of Adana City Training and Research Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with a history of coagulopathy and missing data were excluded from the study. The remaining 81 pediatric patients (34 females, 47 males; mean age 8.5±3 years; range, 3 to 17 years) were included in the study. All surgeons had at least five years of professional experience. RESULTS: After tonsillectomy, the patients were divided into two groups as those without (Group 1, n=53) and with (Group 2, n=28) bleeding in the operative field. Although the days of bleeding changed between the 1st and 14th days after surgery, it was most frequently observed on the 7th and 8th days. CONCLUSION: In our study, the age of the patient and the preoperative whole blood and coagulation parameters, hematocrit, neutrophil, and mean platelet volume, were found to be associated with bleeding after tonsillectomy.