Post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage: reusable and disposable instruments compared

The aim of this study was to determine if the introduction of disposable instruments for tonsillectomy resulted in a significant change in post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage rates. This is a prospective comparative study of haemorrhage rates for cold dissection (CD) tonsillectomy in adults using reusable instruments during 1999-2000 (n=83) and disposable instruments between August and December 2001 (n=111). Haemorrhage rates in children with reusable instruments (n=156) and disposable instruments (n=115) were also compared. Confidence intervals were established for the differences between study groups along with exact levels of significance. No difference was found in the overall reactionary haemorrhage rate [P=0.32, Diff 0.9% (95% CI; -3.2 to +0.4)] or secondary haemorrhage rate [P=1.00, Diff 3.4% (95% CI; -0.09 to +0.01)] between reusable and disposable instruments. The introduction of disposable instruments has not produced a statistically significant increase in post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage rates in our centre.