[Does a preoperative coagulation sheet change the postoperative bleeding rate after adenoidectomy?]

Adenoidectomy (AT) represents one of the first and most common surgeries in childhood. A joint statement of the German Society for Anesthesiology & Intensive Care Medicine as well as Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine and Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery was published in 2006 to prevent of a possibly life-threatening postoperative bleeding after AT in Child age. Routine blood sampling should be avoided during preoperative preparations and instead a standardized coagulation questionnaire (GB) should be performed to clarify a coagulation disorder (GS). If the GB is abnormal, there is an indication for coagulation diagnostics (GD).

This unicenter, nonrandomized, retrospective study compared the rate of bleeding after AT and Re-AT without (2011 to early 2014) and with (early 2014 to 2018) the use of a GB. 2633 children aged one to six years, were included in the statistical analysis to assess whether the introduction of GB in early 2014 was able to reduce the rate of bleeding after AT and Re-AT.

Of the 2633 children, 1451 had GB and 1182 did not. Without GB, there was a bleeding rate of 0.83% and 2,08% with GB. 174 GB were abnormal and 169 GD were performed, 164 of these were unremarkable, 2 resulted in a confirmed mild type 1 von Willebrand syndrome as well as 2 suspected vWS and 1 suspected factor VII deficiency. The sensitivity of the GB was 16% and the specificity was 87.5%. The positive predictive value was 2.8% and the negative predictive value was 98%.

The GB is a tool for detecting possible GS, but is not useful for reducing the rate of postoperative bleeding.