Description

Objective:

To report the results of urgent surgical treatment of acute airway obstruction precipitated by acute tonsillitis in children.

Methods and Material:

A retrospective review of 17 children presenting with acute airway obstruction precipitated by acute tonsillitis was undertaken. The diagnosis of acute tonsillitis with obstruction was based on criteria including fever greater than 37.50C, positive throat swab for haemolytic streptococcus, observed airway obstruction and apnoea with oxygen desaturation below 90% measured by pulse oximetry. There were 10 males and 7 females in the age range 13 to 83 months, (mean 37 months). 7 of these children were below the 25th centile and 4 below the 10th centile for weight. There was a history suggestive of sleep apnoea in 11 and recurrent acute tonsillitis in 8. 11 of the 17 children had pre-operative pulse oximetry with minimum saturation ranging from 60%-89% (mean 76%). All the children had a leucocytosis, and 14 of the throat swabs grew organisms including
b heamolytic streptococcus.