UT Southwestern researchers create model to assess post-tonsillectomy bleed rates
Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have created a statistical model to identify standards for typical, high, or low rates of bleeding after pediatric tonsillectomies. The findings, published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, could help doctors and hospitals improve outcomes for the third-most common pediatric surgery in the U.S.
To develop probability standards, colleagues collected data from the Children’s Hospital Association’s Pediatric Health Information System database, which contains de-identified patient information covering inpatient stays, outpatient surgeries, emergency department visits, and observation unit patient data from more than 49 not-for-profit children’s hospitals in the U.S.
The researchers were primarily interested in data involving patients who came to the emergency department or were readmitted for bleeding after tonsillectomies – a sign that their bleeding after the procedure was considered excessive. Researchers collected demographic data on these patients as well as medical histories.
After stratifying bleeding rates for these institutions into percentiles, the team found that the median probability rate for bleeding among all patients was 1.97%. The lowest rate hovered just over 1%, and the highest rate, in the 99th percentile, was 6.4%. Variables associated with increased rates of post-tonsillectomy bleeding included adolescent age (older than 12), Hispanic ethnicity, residence in a relatively high-wealth ZIP code, and obesity.
