Reducing post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage rates through a quality improvement project using a Swedish National quality register: a case study.

PURPOSE: Tonsillectomy (TE) is one of the most frequently performed ENT surgical procedures. Post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage (PTH) is a potentially life-threatening complication of TE. The National Tonsil Surgery Register in Sweden (NTSRS) has revealed wide variations in PTH rates among Swedish ENT centres. In 2013, the steering committee of the NTSRS, therefore, initiated a quality improvement project (QIP) to decrease the PTH incidence. The aim of the present study was to describe and evaluate the multicentre QIP initiated to decrease PTH rates. METHODS: Six ENT centres, all with PTH rates above the Swedish average, participated in the 7-month quality improvement project. Each centre developed improvement plans describing the intended changes in clinical practice. The project's primary outcome variable was the PTH rate. Process indicators, such as surgical technique, were also documented. Data from the QIP centres were compared with a control group of 15 surgical centres in Sweden with similarly high PTH rates. Data from both groups for the 12 months prior to the start of the QIP were compared with data for the 12 months after the QIP. RESULTS: The QIP centres reduced the PTH rate from 12.7 to 7.1% from pre-QIP to follow-up; in the control group, the PTH rate remained unchanged. The QIP centres also exhibited positive changes in related key process indicators, i.e., increasing the use of cold techniques for dissection and haemostasis. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of PTH can be reduced with a QIP. A national quality register can be used not only to identify areas for improvement but also to evaluate the impact of subsequent improvement efforts and thereby guide professional development and enhance patient outcomes.

A randomized study of four different types of tympanostomy ventilation tubes - One-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To compare four different types of tympanostomy ventilation tubes (VT); long-shaft and short-shaft silicone tubes and long-shaft and short-shaft fluoroplastic tubes, regarding time to extrusion and events of otorrhea. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled trial in children with bilateral recurrent acute otitis media or secretory otitis media; four hundred children were randomized to receive one type of VT in the right ear and another type in the left ear. Postoperatively the children were assessed every third month by an otolaryngologist to monitor the incidence of otorrhea and tube extrusion. RESULTS: Out of the 400 children, 22 were excluded during surgery. Mean age was 35.3 months. A majority (63.8%) were boys. Forty-eight children were lost to follow up during the first year. Significantly more short-shaft VTs were extruded after 12 months compared to long-shaft VTs, regardless of material. Significantly higher incidence of otorrhea was found in the fluoroplastic VT ears compared to the silicone ones, regardless of length of tube. CONCLUSION: Long-shaft VTs last longer in the eardrum during the first year of treatment. Silicone tubes render a reduced risk of otorrhea during the first year of treatment.

Factors influencing morbidity after paediatric tonsillectomy: a study of 18,712 patients in the National Tonsil Surgery Register in Sweden.

The objective of this study was to examine factors affecting morbidity after tonsillectomy in children. Data from the National Tonsil Surgery Register in Sweden on 18,712 patients who underwent tonsillectomy with or without simultaneous adenoidectomy between 1 and 18 years of age were analysed. This register includes data on sex, gender, surgical indication, and the surgical and haemostasis techniques used for each patient, as well as patient-reported outcomes for haemorrhage, analgesic use and antibiotic use. Comparison of patients who underwent surgery for infection versus upper airway obstruction revealed a significant increase in haemorrhage complications in the infection group. However, no significant difference remained after the adjustments for confounders in multivariable regression analysis. Instead, the increased risk among patients who underwent surgery for infection was mainly attributable to the use of bipolar diathermy and increased patient age. Patients who received surgery for infection reported more days of analgesic use, as well as more unplanned contacts with a health care service provider due to pain, compared with those who underwent surgery for upper airway obstruction. These results remained significant in multivariate analysis. The use of bipolar diathermy for haemostasis resulted in an increased risk, while the use of cold steel surgical instruments, a younger patient age and female sex led to a decreased risk. The surgical and haemostasis techniques used are the most important factors that affect morbidity after tonsillectomy in the paediatric age group. The choice of surgical techniques is of utmost importance for decreasing morbidity in these patients.

Ligasure versus diathermy scissors tonsillectomy: A controlled randomized study.

CONCLUSIONS: Ligasure tonsillectomies took longer than bipolar diathermy scissors tonsillectomies. Peroperative haemostasis was comparable in the two groups. Postoperative haemorrhage was higher than expected, which needs to be further investigated. A new handpiece, specifically designed for tonsillectomy, could probably improve surgical performance regarding operative time. OBJECTIVE: To compare tonsillectomy using Ligasure with bipolar diathermy scissors with regard to operative time, blood loss and complications. METHODS: This was a prospective study; 150 patients (> 15 years of age) undergoing tonsillectomy were randomized to tonsillectomy using either Ligasure or bipolar diathermy scissors. Operative time, peroperative blood loss, postoperative pain and complications were recorded and evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 149 cases were included, 75 randomized to Ligasure tonsillectomy and 74 to bipolar diathermy scissors tonsillectomy. Peroperative blood loss was similar in both groups. On average the operative time was 8 min longer in the Ligasure group. Postoperative pain was similar in the two groups. Twenty patients (13%) experienced postoperative haemorrhage, which is higher than our previous material. Slightly fewer patients experienced postoperative haemorrhage in the Ligasure group compared with the diathermy scissors group but the difference was not significant. Two of the 20 patients that experienced postoperative haemorrhage required a return to theatre to stop the bleeding, fewer than previously observed. No other complications were seen.

Stress as a trigger of attacks in Menière's disease. A case-crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Menière's disease is defined as the presence of recurrent, spontaneous episodic vertigo, hearing loss (HL), aural fullness, and tinnitus. The occurrence of attacks is unpredictable. The etiology is still unknown, but the disease has a pathologic correlate in hydropic distension of the endolymphatic system. Earlier studies have shown increased incidence of stress on the same day as vertigo attacks, but it has not been determined whether stress occurring on the day of the vertiginous episode came before or after the onset of the vertigo. METHODS: A case-crossover study including 46 patients with active Menière's disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Relative risks with 95% confidence intervals (CI). FINDINGS: During the study period, 153 Menière's attacks were reported. Twenty-four (52%) of the 46 patients reported attacks. Twelve of the 153 (8%) attacks occurred within 3 hours after exposure to emotional stress. The relative risk of having an attack was 5.10 (95% CI 2.37-10.98) during 3 hours after being exposed to emotional stress. Twenty-nine percent of the patients with attacks had at least one attack after exposure to emotional stress. For mental stress, the relative risk was 4.16 (95% CI 1.46-11.83) and the hazard period 1 hour, but only five attacks were exposed. No excess risk was found after physical stress. INTERPRETATION: Being exposed to emotional stress increases the risk of getting an attack of Menière's disease during the next hour, and the hazard period is possibly extended up to 3 hours.

Factors influencing quality of life in patients with Ménière's disease, identified by a multidimensional approach.

PURPOSE: To evaluate self-reported quality of life in Ménière's disease patients by a multidimensional approach and to identify predictors of the results. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Tertiary referral hospital centers. PATIENTS: One hundred-twelve patients with Ménière's Disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Questionnaires concerning quality of life: Short Form 12 (SF-12) including the Mental Component Summary (MCS-12) and the Physical Component Summary (PCS-12), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), the Function Level Scale (FLS) from the American Association of Otology's criteria for reporting results of treatment of Ménière's Disease, Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS), Hearing Disability Handicap scale (HDHS), Tinnitus Severity Questionnaire (TSQ), and Sense of Coherence (SOC) Scale. RESULTS: The Ménière's patients rated their quality of life significantly worse than did healthy reference groups in both the physical and the psychosocial dimensions. The SOC affected the results of the HAD, the MCS-12, and the psychosocial dimension of the SIP. The VSS affected the results of PCS-12, both dimensions of the SIP, and the FLS. The speech perception subscale of the HDHS affected the MCS-12, and tinnitus severity affected the HAD anxiety subscale. The results of the FLS correlated with the physical dimension of quality of life. CONCLUSION: The Ménière's patients experienced a worse quality of life than did healthy subjects. Vertigo mainly influenced the physical dimension, whereas tinnitus and hearing loss influenced the psychosocial dimension. Sense of coherence had an impact on the psychosocial dimension. The FLS was not sensitive enough to serve as an outcome of treatment results but needed to be complemented by quality of life instruments.