2. Introduction
Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy is one of the most
common pediatric surgical procedures and is well
known to be associated with significant postoperative
pain
In 1994 140,000 U.S. children under the age of 15 had
adenoidectomies and 286,000 had
adenotonsillectomies
6. Cold Knife
Still the “Gold Standard”
Trade high
intraoperative blood loss
for less post-operative
pain
Post tonsillectomy
hemorrhage (PTH)
probably less common
than electrocautery
Inexpensive
7. Electrocautery: Monopolar & Bipolar
Monopolar cautery is
currently the most common
method of tonsillectomy in
the United States
Bipolar cautery has is
commonly used
internationally
Suction cautery has also
been described but is not
extensively used
8. Electrocautery Principles
The post-operative pain associated with cautery is
attributed to the spread of thermal injury
Using cut or blend instead of coag may decrease
post-operative pain (good study needed here)
9. Electrocautery: Monopolar & Bipolar
Low intraoperative
blood loss
Possibly higher PTH
rates than cold knife
Highest pain
10. Coblation
Uses radiofrequency (RF) energy to ionize NaCl in a
saline medium, then the energy of these ions
(plasma) is used to break molecular tissue bonds
May also be used for direct hemostasis
RF energy is supposed to stay in the irrigation to
minimize collateral heating
Temperatue is not supposed to exceed 70 C
(cautery is routinely 200-400 C)
11. Coblation-Advantages
Less pain than electrocautery, some cite equivalent
pain to cold knife
Intraoperative blood loss comparable to
electrocautery
No electrical connection to patient
Coblation-Disadvantages
Very high cost compared to electrocautery or cold knife
PTH seem to be equivalent to electrocautery or may even
be higher
Operative times up to twice as long than electrocautery
Aggressive marketing campaign targeted to lay public
13. Harmonic Scalpel
Blade vibrates at 55,500 hertz
This vibration is in the RF range and causes
proteins to denature and form a coagulum which
seals small vessels and divides tissue
Larger vessels can be sealed by continuous contact
and secondary heating
14. Harmonic Scalpel-Advantages
Lower post-operative pain than electrocautery
Intraoperative blood loss comparable to
electrocautery
Possibly lower PTH rates than electrocautery
No electrical connection to patient
Harmonic Scalpel-Disadvantages
Expensive
Longer operative time than electrocautery or cold
knife
15. Thermal Welding
Variation of bipolar cautery and bipolar scissors
Feedback system to automatically control ‘seal cycle’
Minimizes thermal spread
Rated for up to 7 mm vessels at 3x normal SBP
‘Melts’ collagen and elastin to form a coagulum similar to plasma and
harmonic scalpel
Does not rely of proximal thrombus like standard electrocautery
Also used for neck surgery and thyroid surgery
May eventually replace standard bipolar
16. Thermal Welding-Advantages
Less post operative pain than monopolar
electrocautery
Cost is less than Coblation and Harmonic scalpel
Thermal Welding-Disadvantages
Very new
PTH rates unknown
Still more costly that monopolar and cold knife
17. Laser
Used for debridement of
hypertrophied tonsils
Several laser types used
Typically leaves 10-25%
of tonsil tissue behind
Associated with lower
post-operative pain than
electrocautery
18. Adjuvant Therapies
Aims are to reduce comorbidities of
tonsillectomy
1. Reduce pain
2. Reduce nausea
3. Resume diet
4. Resume activity
5. Reduce overall postoperative cost
20. Perioperative Steroids
No adverse effects with one dose of perioperative
steroids.
Reduction in post operative pain levels and 24 hr
emesis rates
Dose range from 0.1-1.0 mg/kg up to a total dose
of 50 mg
21. Post Operative Antibiotics
Now generally accepted in the literature as
routine
Some disagreement on type and duration
Most studies recommend a 5-7 day course of
narrow spectum (amoxicillin) antibiotics
Thought to decrease post operative pain and post
operative healing time by decreasing the bacterial
oral flora
22. Postoperative Antibiotics
Decrease bacterial colonization of pharyngeal
tissues to reduce inflammation following
tonsillectomy
Pain reduction
Improving oral intake
Possibly decreasing postoperative bleeding
Controversial: Bacterial Resistance
23. Local Anesthetics
Three major catagories
Pre-surgical injection
Post-surgical injection
Topical administration post operatively
24. Local Anesthetic
Tonsils innervated by:
Tonsillar branches of glossopharyngeal nerve
Palatine nerves of V2
Lingual branches of V3
Bupivacaine: amide anesthetic
High lipid solubility and protein binding
Rapid onset with effect lasting 6-9 hours
25. Post Operative Pain Control
Tylenol
Narcotics (and tylenol/narcotic combonations)
NSAIDS
26. Post Operative Pain Control
Opioids
Mainstay of postop analgesia
Increase incidence of postop emesis & respiratory morbidity
Paracetamol (Oral/ Rectal/ I.V.)
Plain Tylenol may be sufficient in young pts
NSAIDS
(great controversy / bleeding vs pain)
safe and effective and reduce narcotic complications without increasing
bleeding.
27. No Codeine After Tonsillectomy
The FDA reports that deaths have occurred after surgery in
children with OSAS who received codeine for pain relief following
such surgeries.
Some children are “ultra-rapid metabolizers” of codeine, meaning
that their liver converts codeine to morphine in higher than normal
amounts. “High levels of morphine can result in breathing difficulty,
which may be fatal,” the FDA warns.