Analgesic Regimen and Readmission Following Tonsillectomy

Objective: To define the analgesic regimen given following tonsillectomy in a large ENT department and correlate this with readmission for secondary complications. Methods: We performed a retrospective case note review of patients undergoing tonsillectomy within a six month period. Demographic information and relevant case information was collected including operative details, discharge medication and readmission details. Results: 125 patients underwent tonsillectomy during the period. 17 different post-operative analgesic regimens were identified with the most common being a paracetamol and ibuprofen combination (26.4%). 13 patients (10.4%) were readmitted following discharge from hospital post-operatively, four (3.2%) for issues related to pain. There was no correlation between analgesic regimens and readmission. Conclusion: No apparent link between readmission and analgesic regimen was identified. The vast variation of analgesic regimens used has prompted development of a formal step-based analgesic protocol.