The focus on the first 24 hours of care for respiratory events following tonsillectomy may be misplaced and a broader focus is warranted. Nocturnal hypoxemia, an elevated apnea-hypopnea index, or obstructive sleep apnea contributes to an increased sensitivity to narcotics and postoperative complications. Narcotic pain management depresses respiration through an increase in the frequency of central sleep apnea, decreased minute ventilation, increased hypercarbia pressure, and a decrease in the hypoxic ventilator response. Residual pain gives some margin of safety as it stimulates respiration. Children dying following tonsillectomy do so silently during sleep, often without arousing the attention of caregivers or nursing personnel in close proximity. Perioperative education of caregivers, use of the least morbid surgical technique, and the control of pain rather than its elimination are prudent steps in the management of tonsillectomy patients.
Keywords: central apnea; death; hypoxemia; narcotics; postoperative pain; pulse oximetry; respiratory drive; sleep apnea; sleep disordered breathing; tonsillectomy.
© American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2014.