Complications of Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy and Associated Factors at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Butare (CHUB): September 2018 up to February 2019

Abstract

Background: Adenotonsillectomy remains a burden leading to high morbidity and mortality due to complications at medical settings. This study aimed to identify perioperative complications of adenotonsillectomy at CHUB and associated factors. Method: Prospective observational study was conducted among 72 pediatric patients aged 0 to 15 years at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Butare from September 2018 to February 2019. Results: The study population mean age was 59.3 months (range 51.1 – 67.6months), and 58.3% were male. The majority were ASA1 (75%). The rate of Adenoidectomy, Adenotonsillectomy and Tonsillectomy was 4.2%, 80.6% and 15.3% respectively. Intraoperative complications were observed in 26.4% and were mainly respiratory (25%). Postoperatively, complications occurred in 37.5% and were mostly pain, desaturation, and PONV. A chi square test was done to identify association between different factors such as age, comorbidity, and occurrence of intraoperative and postoperative complications. Intraoperative complications were significantly associated with young age below 3 years O.R 0.12 [0.03 – 0.44] with a CI 95% p 0.001. We didn’t identify any factor predicting postoperative complications. Conclusion: Younger children undergoing adenotonsillectomy encounter more intraoperative complications, and as such they should be assessed and anesthetized by more skilled healthcare providers. We recognize that our sample size was small, and we recommend this study to be repeated on a larger scale. We would recommend regular daytime oximetry and specific cardiologist review for children presenting with severe OSA to assess for pulmonary hypertension as part of the preoperative evaluation