Postoperative respiratory complications and recovery in obese children following adenotonsillectomy for sleep‐disordered breathing: A case‐control study

Abstract

Obesity in children significantly increases the risk of respiratory complications following surgery for sleep-disordered breathing. Overnight hospitalization for obese children is recommended.

A pilot study to identify pre- and peri-operative risk factors for airway complications following adenotonsillectomy for treatment of severe pediatric OSA

“…Sixteen of 83 patients in this study experienced post-operative complications. Given the rarity of complications, the small sample size could explain why other well known risk factors, such as male gender [28], prematurity [29], weight <5th percentile for age [20] and obesity [28] did not significantly predict airway complications in this study. Furthermore, the significant risk factors failed to capture 12.5% (n = 2) of patients who experienced airway complications.…”

Clinical Practice Guideline: Polysomnography for Sleep‐Disordered Breathing Prior to Tonsillectomy in Children

“…37 Obese children are also more likely to have severe SDB [38][39][40] and respiratory complications following tonsillectomy. 41 Furthermore, Costa and Mitchell 42 reported in a meta-analysis of 4 studies that tonsillectomy significantly reduced the severity of SDB in obese children but was rarely curative: 60% to 88% of obese children had evidence of persistent SDB following tonsillectomy. Preoperative PSG, therefore, assists in planning perioperative care, and postoperative PSG assists with long-term management.…”

Evidence based curriculum design—Use of a surgical database to identify non-perceived needs in educating otolaryngologists on pediatric conditions

“…Further, the frequency of the encounters adds weight to the topics and their relative importance. Such that the otolaryngologists would be aware, for example, of the concomitant health problems (diabetes, hypertension) of an obese child, consult with weight reduction clinic, explain the potential complications of anesthesia in this group [13] and the modest improvements anticipated in ailments like sleep apnea. Also the threshold for active intervention for a common condition as recurrent acute otitis media or otitis media with effusion can be modified significantly by the predisposition of the child to the condition courtesy of an anatomical, genetic problem or a developmental delay that may be exacerbated by the condition [14].…”