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Children May Pack on Pounds After Tonsillectomy
Posted 1 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 1 – Weight gain is common after children have their tonsils removed, an analysis of four decades of research concludes. Researchers from Saint Louis University found that 50 percent of the children in the studies gained more weight than expected as part of normal development, according to study lead author Dr. Anita Jeyakumar. While not "hugely surprising," the findings are important to consider in light of the obesity epidemic and the frequency of tonsillectomy, she said. "About 30 to 50 percent of this generation of children is overweight so anything that can exacerbate that should be looked at very closely," said Jeyakumar, a pediatric otolaryngologist at Saint Louis University Medical School. Although fewer tonsillectomies are performed today than 40 years ago, it is still one of the most common major surgical operations performed on U.S. children, she pointed out. ... Read more
Related support groups: Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis
Sleep Study May Be Advisable Before Removing Tonsils, Adenoids
Posted 20 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Jan. 20 – Conducting sleep studies of children before removing their tonsils and adenoids (adenotonsillectomy) may help identify those at increased risk for postoperative respiratory complications, a new study suggests. U.S. researchers analyzed the medical records of 1,131 children who underwent adenotonsillectomy at a pediatric hospital. Of the 151 patients who took part in a sleep study (polysomnography) before surgery, 23 (15.2 percent) experienced respiratory complications after surgery. The sleep studies showed that the children who suffered postoperative respiratory complications scored significantly higher on the apnea-hypopnea index, which rates the overall severity of sleep apnea, including sleep disruptions or low levels of oxygen in the blood. These children also scored higher on the hypopnea index (episodes of overly shallow breathing or abnormally low ... Read more
Related support groups: Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis
No Surgery for Moderate Tonsillitis, New Guidelines Say
Posted 7 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Jan. 6 – Doctors should use antibiotics and a wait-and-see approach when treating repeated throat infections in children and resort to a tonsillectomy only in the most severe cases, new medical guidelines suggest. A panel of experts formed to address the costs and risks of unnecessary tonsillectomies – surgical removal of the tonsils – found that most children with frequent sore throats get better without surgery. "Tonsillectomy is [one of the] most common childhood operations in the United States, so it's critical for those of us who perform the procedure to know who should get it, and how to manage the patient," said Dr. Lee P. Smith, chief of pediatric otolaryngology at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York on Long Island. The tonsils are walnut-size lumps of lymph tissue at the back of the throat. The guidelines, published in the January ... Read more
Related support groups: Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis
Tonsillectomy Study Finds Best Way to Avoid Complications
Posted 2 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 2 – A review of three common surgical techniques used in tonsillectomies and related procedures has pinpointed which method has the lowest level of complications. Doctors perform an estimated 530,000 adenotonsillectomies (in which the adenoids and tonsils are removed) on children in the United States each year. But there's no agreement on the best surgical method to use, and complications such as bleeding and dehydration can occur, as can painful swallowing, fever and ear pain. In the new study, researchers examined the medical records of 4,776 patients who underwent adenoidectomy (removal of the adenoids), tonsillectomy, or adenotonsillectomy over a period of 36 months. The three techniques are known as microdebrider (which uses a cutting tool to shave tissue), coblation (which uses radiofrequency energy), or electrocautery (which uses an electrically heated metal ... Read more
Related support groups: Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis
Post-Tonsillectomy Codeine May Pose Dangers
Posted 12 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19 – Giving codeine to children after a tonsillectomy may be deadly, a new report warns. The report, in the Aug. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, follows the death of an otherwise healthy 2-year-old boy who was prescribed codeine to relieve pain from having his tonsils removed. The child, who had a history of snoring and sleep apnea, or repeated pauses in breathing throughout the night, had the surgery in an outpatient clinic and was sent home, the researchers explained. Doctors prescribed codeine syrup and told the boy's mother to give it to him for pain, but two nights later, the child developed a fever and wheezing. He was found dead the next morning, according to the report. Toxicology tests showed that the mother had given the child the proper dosage, but the coroner found that the child had high levels of morphine in his system. Further ... Read more
Related support groups: Codeine, Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis
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