Factors Identified That Impact ED Visit Frequency After Adenotonsillectomy

MONDAY, March 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Several preoperative factors and hospital stay duration are associated with emergency department (ED) visit frequency in pediatric patients after adenotonsillectomy, according to a study published online Feb. 22 in Cureus.Aseel A. Alamoudi, from the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and colleagues examined ways to reduce unexpected ED visits and poor outcomes in pediatric patients following adenotonsillectomy in a retrospective analysis involving patients aged 2 to 14 years who underwent adenotonsillectomy between 2016 and 2023.A total of 700 adenotonsillectomy cases were included in the study, with an average hospital stay of 1.0 day. The researchers found 227 ED visits occurred within 90 days after surgery, with 29.5 percent of cases due to pain. The likelihood of experiencing an ED visit and postoperative bleeding was increased for patients with a hospital stay of one day or more, while lower readmission rates were seen for those discharged in less than a day. A direct correlation was seen between the number of admission days followed by the procedure and frequency of ED visits. Fewer postoperative ED visits were seen for patients who had surgery for obstructive reasons or who were prescribed sodium chloride nasal drops or penicillin at discharge."These findings emphasize the necessity for optimized discharge planning and close monitoring of patients with identified risk factors to minimize complications and reduce unnecessary health care utilization," the authors write.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Factors Identified That Impact ED Visit Frequency After Adenotonsillectomy

Related Stories