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Pediatric otolaryngology procedures in the United States: 1977-1987
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk 23507.
Insights
Pediatric otolaryngology procedures, including adenotonsillar surgery and myringotomies, saw significant declines between 1977 and 1987. Despite this, adenotonsillar surgery remained the most common inpatient procedure for children under 15.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Health Services Research
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Analysis of common pediatric otolaryngology inpatient procedures from 1977-1987.
- Utilizes data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in pediatric otolaryngology inpatient procedures over an 11-year period.
- Identify the most frequent surgical procedures performed on children under 15.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) data.
- Examination of procedure frequency and rates per 100,000 population for pediatric otolaryngology surgeries.
Main Results:
- Adenotonsillar surgery was the most frequent inpatient procedure for children under 15, despite a greater than two-fold decline.
- Myringotomies (with/without ventilation tubes) also decreased by more than threefold during the study period.
- NHDS data limitations exclude freestanding ambulatory surgical facilities and military hospitals.
Conclusions:
- Adenotonsillar surgery remained the predominant inpatient procedure for pediatric otolaryngology patients despite declining trends.
- Significant decreases in both adenotonsillar surgery and myringotomies highlight changing patterns in pediatric surgical care.
- The study underscores the need to consider data from various healthcare settings for a comprehensive understanding of pediatric surgical procedures.
Abstract:
Common pediatric otolaryngology inpatient procedures for the years 1977 through 1987 are analyzed utilizing data provided by the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) of the National Center for Health Statistics. The data available reveal that adenotonsillar surgery remains the most frequent inpatient surgical procedure performed on all children under age 15 in spite of a decline in both the total number of adenotonsillar procedures and the rate per 100,000 population of greater than two-fold over this 11 year period. The total number of myringotomies with and without insertion of ventilation tubes and the rate per 100,000 children also decreased by greater than threefold during the same time span. Although representative of inpatient, non-institutionalized health care, the NHDS suffers from its lack of data concerning surgery performed in freestanding, ambulatory surgical facilities and military hospitals.