Post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage. A retrospective study of 1150 operations

The medical records of 1150 tonsillectomized patients were retrospectively reviewed for registration of the frequency of post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage in relation to sex and age of the patients, the indications for tonsillectomy, and the operative experience of the surgeon. The number of post-operative bleeds requiring surgery was 32 (2.8%) and occurred most frequently in young men and in patients with a history of previous peritonsillar abscess undergoing cold tonsillectomy. The frequency of haemorrhage in abscess tonsillectomy was not higher than expected. As previous studies have demonstrated that abscess tonsillectomy is associated with a minimal risk of spreading the infection or other serious complications, it is suggested that abscess tonsillectomy should be the preferable treatment of peritonsillar abscess.