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Evidence summaries

Antibiotics to Reduce Post-Tonsillectomy Morbidity

Antibiotics appear not to be effective in reducing postoperative pain or other postoperative outcomes of tonsillectomy. Level of evidence: "B"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 10 studies with a total of 1035 subjects. Most did not find a significant reduction in pain with antibiotics. Similarly, antibiotics were not shown to be effective in reducing the need for analgesics. Antibiotics were not associated with a reduction in significant secondary haemorrhage rates (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.08 to 3.11, P = 0.45) or total secondary haemorrhage rates (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.44, P = 0.66). With regard to secondary outcomes, antibiotics reduced the proportion of subjects with fever (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.85, P = 0.002).

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (inadequate or unclear allocation concealment).

References

  • Dhiwakar M, Clement WA, Supriya M et al. Antibiotics to reduce post-tonsillectomy morbidity. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012;12():CD005607. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords