Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/i340ytno-fs Giving kids ibuprofen, that is Advil or Motrin, rather than acetaminophen, Tylenol, after tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy more than doubles a child’s risk of serious bleeding that requires a return to the operating room.  This conclusion comes from a multi-center study of some 741 children aged 2-18 years coordinated by pediatric ENT specialists at Harvard’s Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary. For years, use of platelet-inhibiting, blood-thinning drugs such as aspirin after tonsil surgery was an absolute no-no.  Then, more recently, ibuprofen and other non-aspirin NSAIDs became available, and they were touted as being safe despite the fact that they too inhibit platelet function, interfere with blood coagulation, and slow healing.  A few small studies suggested that their use was safe after throat surgery. For those of us pediatric surgeons operating on the highly vascular tonsils, recommending any blood-thinning medications made absolutely no sense not matter what