The Utility of Various Common Surgical Instruments for Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy: Analysis of Time, Hemorrhage, and Cost:

Objectives:Evaluate the correlation between surgical instrumentation and intraoperative surgical time, postoperative hemorrhage and associated health care cost for pediatric adenotonsillectomy.Methods:Retrospective chart analysis from a tertiary care pediatric hospital of patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy from 2011 to 2013. Monopolar electrocautery, radiofrequency ablation, and PlasmaBlade instruments were compared for intraoperative surgical time and postoperative hemorrhage rate. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi-square analysis was used to evaluate differences between instrumentation and variables. Cost analysis examining instrumentation and intraoperative anesthesia was also reviewed.Results:A total of 1280 patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy were evaluated. There was no significant overall difference in age, sex, or preoperative diagnosis identified between the 3 instrumentation groups. When examining the various instruments’ effects on procedure time in minutes, univariat...