To Örebro University

Objectives: To analyse post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage(PTH) rates related to technique for dissection and haemostasis.Study Design: Register study from the National TonsilSurgery Register in Sweden (NTSRS).

Methods: All patients, subjected to tonsillectomy (TE)without adenoidectomy from 1 March 2009 to 26 April 2013,were included in the study. The surgeon reports data abouttechnique and early PTH, while late PTH is reported by thepatient in a questionnaire 30 days after surgery.

Results: 15734 patients with complete data concerningtechnique for dissec tion and for haemostasis were identifiedin the NTSRS. Techniques used were cold steel dissectionwith uni- or bipolar diathermy haemostasis (65.3%),diathermy scissors (15.7%), coblation (9.1%), cold steeldissection with cold haemostasis (7.4%) and ultrascision(2.5%). Early and late PTH were reported in 3.2% and 9.4% of the cases, respectively, and return to theatre (RTT) in2.7%. The rat es for PTH and RTT related to technique wereanalysed. Compared with cold dissection+ cold haemostasis,late PTH rate was 2.8 times higher after cold dissection + hothaemostasis, 3.2 times higher after coblation, 4.3 timeshigher after diathermy scissors and 5.6 times higher afterultrascision. The risk for RTT was higher for all hottechniques except for coblation, while ultrascision resultedin a lower risk for early PTH.

Conclusions: All hot techniques resulted in a higher risk forlate PTH compared with cold steel dissection +coldhaemostasis. The risk for RTT was higher for all hottechniques except for coblation, while ultrascision resultedin a lower risk for early PTH. An early PTH was associatedwith an increased risk for late PTH.