Complications after outpatient tonsillectomy linked to age

Editor's Note

Children younger than 3 years of age may benefit from 23-hour observation after tonsillectomy, this study finds.

In this multicenter study of 1,817 healthy children having outpatient tonsillectomy, those younger than 3 years were at an increased risk for complications within the first 24 hours, and the complications were independent of weight. The odds of having a complication was 1.5 times greater than it was in children 3 years or older.

The findings suggest that clinician judgment is crucial in determining which patients are safe for outpatient tonsillectomy, the researchers say.