Are there regional differences in postoperative bleeding after tonsil surgery?

Introduction The frequency of tonsil surgery and its regional variation is a regularly discussed topic, especially since the Bertelsmann-Study. The aim of the present study is to clarify, if the frequency of postoperative bleeding also varies among regions.

Materials and Methods A special evaluation of the Federal Office of Statistics captured all inpatient tonsil surgeries between 2005 and 2018. Identification criteria were the OPS-Codes for tonsillectomy, abscess tonsillectomy, adenotonsillectomy, tonsillotomy and operation-worthy post-tonsillectomy bleeding. The data were stratified by federal state, age and sex. The operation and postoperative bleeding rates were calculated with the help of a population statistic for each sex, year, federal state, as well as Germany nationwide.

Results The number of performed tonsil surgeries decreased from 131.162 in 2005 to 70.335 in 2018. The postoperative bleeding rates were above the nationwide average in Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Baden-Württemberg and Berlin, those of Hessen, Bayern and Sachsen matched the nationwide average. No significant differences were noted in the postoperative bleeding rates of each federal state throughout the observation period. Postoperative bleeding was significantly more frequent in male patients. The lowest bleeding rate could bei found for patients <5 years old, the highest for patients between 20 and 25 years of age regardless of sex and region.

Conclusion Eventhough surgery rates decreased significantly throughout the observation period, the bleeding complications regarding sex, age and region stayed the same. The higher frequency of postoperative bleeding at a certain age period, for the male sex and certain regions is a phenomenon, that has yet to be scientifically explained.

Poster-PDF A-1760.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020