Efficacy of Topical Silver Nitrate for Control of Post-tonsillectomy Hemorrhage

Objective Management of patients with post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage (PTH) is not well defined but may include observation, topical bedside treatments, or return to the operating room. Data on the use and efficacy of silver nitrate as a topical bedside agent for the management of PTH remain unexplored. Our primary objective was to assess the efficacy of silver nitrate in reducing the need for operative control of PTH. Methods Single-institution retrospective chart review included patients aged 5-18 years who presented with tonsillar bleeding within 30 days of tonsillectomy. Patients undergoing observation or bedside silver nitrate cautery were compared based on clinical characteristics and experience of the physician performing the procedure. The outcome of interest was rebleeding requiring operative control. Sample characteristics according to treatment modality were described using Fisher's exact tests and ANOVA. Results Of the patients eligible for inclusion, 29 (20%) were observed and 70 (48.3%) were treated with topical silver nitrate. Age was the only statistically significant clinical difference among treatment groups. The silver nitrate group had more patients who underwent operative control of PTH compared to the observation group (p = 0.004). When comparing the need for operative control between the observation group and patients who had initial success with silver nitrate, there was no difference (p = 0.29). No differences were found in the rate of bleeding requiring operative control when comparing experience of the physician performing the procedure (p = 0.20). Conclusion More patients who underwent silver nitrate cautery required PTH control in the operating room compared to the observation group. This may be due to patient selection as our results also suggest that there is no statistical difference in rates of operative control of PTH when comparing initial successful treatment with topical silver nitrate to observation. Age is likely a factor that was used by physicians in this study to decide the initial management of PTH. Provider experience does not appear to affect rebleeding rates. Future studies are necessary to evaluate the clinical impact of silver nitrate in the context of PTH and will benefit from more robust sample sizes and enhanced diversity in the sample group.