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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
CO2-Lasertonsillotomy Under Local Anesthesia in Adults
Published on: November 6, 2019
Tonsillectomy Complications in Adults: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study of National Health Service Patients
Steven Powell1,2, Kim Keltie1,3, Ed O'Toole1
1The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Objectives:
To characterise adult tonsillectomy procedures conducted in the NHS from routine administrative data in England and investigate trends in their associated complications over time.
Design:
Retrospective observational cohort study using routine data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES).
Setting:
Acute NHS trusts in England are conducting adult tonsillectomy.
Participants:
Adults (> 16 years old) undergoing tonsillectomy procedure with a primary diagnosis of any non-malignant indication, and with no current or historic cancer, or benign neoplasm.
Main Outcome Measures:
Number of procedures, in-hospital complications, readmissions within 28 days and trends over time.
Results:
A total of 198 130 adult patients had a tonsillectomy between 1 April 2008 and 31st March 2023 in NHS trusts in England. The total number of procedures is falling over time. It is more commonly undertaken in women (68.3%), with 79.3% performed for tonsillitis. The majority (59.6%) are discharged on the same day, with 37.5% staying 1 night in hospital. 1.5% of patients had an in-hospital complication, with a total of 1967 patients having a haemorrhage or surgical arrest of post-operative bleeding from the tonsillar bed or adenoid; occurring more frequently in men (1.7% versus 0.7%, p < 0.001). A total of 33 934 patients were readmitted as an emergency within 28 days of surgery, almost doubling between 2008/09 and 2022/23. Readmission with bleeding within 28 days has also increased from 8.8% in 2008/09 to 15.6% in 2022/23. The return to theatre rate during readmissions has been relatively stable over the study time period with a higher proportion of admissions being managed without a further operative procedure.
Conclusions:
Tonsillectomy is a very common operation in the NHS in England. It currently has a readmission rate of 1 in 5 adults and this information is important for informed consent and local resource planning.
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