SAN DIEGO—Investigators from around the country presented their findings at the 120th Annual Meeting of the Triological Society, held in conjunction with the 2017 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings, held here April 28–29, 2017. Here are some research highlights from the event.
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July 2017Blood Transfusion in Children with Sickle Cell Disease Undergoing Tonsillectomy
Sickle cells
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In an analysis of the Kids’ Inpatient Database for trends in the use of blood transfusions, researchers found 1,133 pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) who had undergone tonsillectomy from 1997 through 2012. The patients were split into groups by blood transfusion status and compared across variables including complication rate, length of stay (LOS), and hospital charges.
There was a strong positive correlation between increasing chronologic year and the proportion of patients receiving blood transfusions, 47 (30.1%) in 1997 to 78 (42.5%) in 2012. During this period, there was no significant change in the rate of complications. Overall, patients receiving blood transfusion had a longer mean LOS (3.1±2.4 days vs. 2.5±2.2 days) and higher mean charge ($17,318±$13,191 vs. $13,532±$12,124) when compared with patients who did not receive blood transfusion.