EARLY POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS OF THYROID SURGERY AND THEIR MANAGEMENT

BACKGROUND Thyroid swelling is one of the most common complaint of patients presenting to the surgery outpatient department. Thyroidectomy is a common surgical procedure that has several potential complications or sequelae including temporary or permanent change in voice, temporary or permanently low calcium, need for lifelong thyroid hormone replacement, bleeding, infection, and the remote possibility of airway obstruction due to bilateral vocal cord paralysis. Complications are uncommon when the procedure is performed by an experienced surgeon. However, most of the complications are manageable. Aim of the study was to assess early post-operative complications of thyroid surgeries and their management. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients who underwent thyroidectomies at Father Muller Medical College Hospital from May-December 2015 were included in the study. RESULTS In this study, 200 patients who underwent various thyroid surgeries were studied to look for occurrence of different early postoperative complications. CONCLUSION Post-operative hypocalcaemia, temporary and permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis and airway obstruction were noticed and they were successfully managed.