Description
Our aim was to assess if adult day case tonsillectomy
could be safely introduced to our ENT department and to
identify any practical issues that would need addressing.
A prospective audit was performed in three phases.
Outcomes included patients who successfully underwent
a day case tonsillectomy, postoperative morbidity and
patient satisfaction.
Day case tonsillectomy was achieved in
34/43(79%) patients with a primary haemorrhage rate
of 1/43 (2.3%). 29/43 (67%) of our planned day case
patients preferred to go home on the day of surgery.
Practical issues included training day case staff
unfamiliar with postoperative tonsillectomy nursing
care.
This audit cycle was a practical method of
introducing day case tonsillectomy; this phased method
may benefit other departments contemplating day case
tonsillectomy.
