The safety of conscious sedation in peritonsillar abscess drainage.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To demonstrate the safety of conscious sedation in draining peritonsillar abscesses (PTAs).

DESIGN:

Children diagnosed as having a PTA in the pediatric emergency department were identified, and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Results of the present study were compared with those of a previous report.

SETTING:

A tertiary referral children's hospital pediatric emergency department.

PARTICIPANTS:

Ninety-one consecutive children initially evaluated in the emergency department and managed for a PTA.

INTERVENTIONS:

Peritonsillar abscess incision and drainage with or without sedation. A team of physicians whose activities were documented on a formal conscious-sedation record was present. Patients were monitored for major and minor complications.

OUTCOME MEASURES:

The primary outcome measures were major and minor complications. Secondary outcome measures were recurrence of PTA and the need for admission.

RESULTS:

There were 62 episodes of conscious sedation for drainage of a PTA. Among the 91 patients, 3 had a recurrence and 24 were admitted after the procedure. A previous study evaluated 30 episodes of conscious sedation for drainage of a PTA. No major complications occurred in either series. Combining the previous data with the present data produced 92 episodes of conscious sedation for drainage of a PTA. The 1-sided upper 95% confidence limit for the rate of major complications is 3.2%.

CONCLUSION:

Our series, when combined with previously published data, demonstrates that conscious sedation can be safely used when draining a PTA in pediatric patients.

• Authors: P W Bauer, J E Lieu, D L Suskind, R P Lusk
• Journal: Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg) Vol. 127 Issue 12 Pg. 1477-80 (Dec 2001) ISSN: 0886-4470 [Print] United States
• PMID: 11735818 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adolescent
• Child
• Conscious Sedation (adverse effects)
• Drainage
• Humans
• Peritonsillar Abscess (therapy)
• Recurrence
• Retrospective Studies