Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy Health Article

Aftercare

Patients are turned on the side after the operation to prevent the possibility of blood being drawn into the lungs. The patient's vital signs are checked. After the patient is fully awake, he or she can drink water and other nonirritating liquids.

Adult patients are usually warned to expect some bleeding after the operation and a very sore throat.

Antibiotics are given to prevent infection. Medications to relieve pain may also be given. For at least the first 24 hours, the patient is fed soft or pureed foods and fluids. If the adenoids alone were removed, the patient may be allowed solid food the day after surgery.

Patients are usually sent home the next day, with instructions to call the doctor if there is bleeding, an earache, or a fever that lasts longer than three days. They are told to expect a white scab to form in the throat between five and 10 days after surgery.

Risks

About one in every fifteen thousand tonsillectomies ends in death, either from the anesthesia or from bleeding to death five to seven days after the operation. There is also a chance that children with previously normal speech will develop a nasal-sounding voice. In addition, children younger than five years may be badly emotionally upset by the hospital experience.

Normal results

Normal results include the correction of the condition for which the surgery was performed.

BOOKS

Berman, Stephen, and Ken Chan. "Ear, Nose, & Throat." In Current Pediatric Diagnosis & Treatment, ed. William W. Hay Jr., et al. Stamford: Appleton & Lange, 1997.

Markel, Howard, and Frank A. Oski. The Practical Pediatrician: The A to Z Guide to Your Child's Health, Behavior, and Safety. New York: W. H. Freeman and Co., 1995.

"Tonsillitis." In Professional Guide to Diseases, ed. Stanley Loeb, et al. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corporation, 1991.

Rebecca J. Frey, PhD

KEY TERMS

Abscess—A localized area of tissue destruction and pus formation.

Adenoids—Masses of lymphoid tissue that are found in the upper throat.

Sleep apnea—A condition marked by loud snoring during sleep and periodic episodes of suspended breathing.

Tonsils—Oval masses of lymphoid tissue on each side of the throat.