TITLE:
Analgesic Regimen and Readmission Following Tonsillectomy
AUTHORS:
Lyudmila Kishikova, Matthew D. Smith, Jason C. Fleming, Michael O’Connell
KEYWORDS:
Tonsillectomy; Analgesia; Post-Operative Complications
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery,
Vol.2 No.4,
July
2,
2013
ABSTRACT: Objective: To define the analgesic regimen given following tonsillectomy in a
large ENT department and correlate this with readmission for secondary
complications. Methods: We performed a retrospective case note review of patients undergoing
tonsillectomy within a six month period. Demographic information and relevant
case information was collected including operative details, discharge
medication and readmission details. Results: 125 patients underwent tonsillectomy during the period. 17 different
post-operative analgesic regimens were identified with the most common being a
paracetamol and ibuprofen combination (26.4%). 13 patients (10.4%) were
readmitted following discharge from hospital post-operatively, four (3.2%) for
issues related to pain. There was no correlation between analgesic regimens and
readmission. Conclusion: No apparent link between readmission and analgesic regimen was
identified. The vast variation of analgesic regimens used has prompted
development of a formal step-based analgesic protocol.