Post-tonsillectomy bleeding: a regional hospital experience

Post-tonsillectomy bleeding (PTB) is still one of the most common complications of tonsillectomy. The rate of PTB varies with different methods. We retrospectively reviewed all charts of patients who underwent tonsillectomy in a regional hospital. Post-tonsillectomy bleeding occurred in 33 patients (6.68%); 3 experienced primary haemorrhage and 30 had secondary haemorrhage. The rate of PTB was higher in males and in the over 15-year group (9.41%). The commonest surgical techniques used were cold steel dissection with bipolar diathermy for haemostasis (55.87%). The lowest PTB was observed with 'cold steel and ties technique' (3.14%). Operations which used bipolar diathermy throughout had the highest level of haemorrhage (8.47%). In conclusion, the overall risk of bleeding is related to surgical technique. A 'hot' technique had a higher risk of bleeding than 'cold' technique.