Abstract
ObjectivesWe analyzed trends in tonsil surgery over a 10-year period in a single tertiary care hospital and evaluated the effects of these changes on use of hospital services and healthcare costs. MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study based on data from databases at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Children under 16 years of age with tonsillectomy (TE) or tonsillotomy (TT) performed during 2007–2016 were included in the study. ResultsIn 10 years, 4979 tonsil surgeries were performed on 4951 children: TE in 3170 (64%) and TT in 1781 (36%) children. The total number of tonsil surgeries stayed nearly constant. TT operations commenced in the study hospital in 2009 and from 2012 onwards have been more common than TE procedures. Altogether 279 patients visited the emergency department because of complications; TE patients had 9.0 visits/100 surgeries and TT patients 1.8 visits/100 surgeries. The most common complication was postoperative hemorrhage: 200 cases (6.3%) in the TE group and 11 cases (0.6%) in the TT group. During the two-year follow-up after tonsil surgery the total costs of healthcare services were significantly lower in the TT group than in the TE group. ConclusionConsiderable changes have occurred in tonsil surgery in children during the 10-year study period; TT is today performed more often than TE. As a consequence, complications, readmissions to hospital, and number of patients treated in the operating room because of postoperative hemorrhage have decreased, lowering the costs of healthcare.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.