Hot saline irrigation for control of intraoperative bleeding in adenoidectomy: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the efficiency of hot (50°C) saline irrigation for hemostasis after adenoidectomy. Study Design: A prospective, controlled, randomized study to investigate hot saline solution in hemostasis of adenoidectomy. Setting: A tertiary care pediatric hospital. Subjects and Methods: A group of 120 children, undergoing adenoidectomy alone, were randomized into two groups, either the room-temperature (25°C) or 50°C saline group, at the start of the operation. Results: One hundred and twenty consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. Age ranged from 1.5 to nine years (mean ± SD: 4.5 ± 1.9 years vs 4.9 ± 1.8 years, 25°C vs 50°C saline groups). There were 36 males and 24 females in the control group (25°C saline group), and 30 males and 30 females in the 50°C saline group. Compared to patients in the control group, 50°C saline reduced the operative time by 3.1 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.79-4.41, P = 0.001) and reduced the time for hemostasis by 1.77 minutes (95% CI 0.83-2.70, P = 0.008). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the 50°C saline irrigation was more effectual for postadenoidectomy hemostasis in comparison to room-temperature (25°C) saline irrigation by providing a lesser hemostasis time and requiring lesser need of recurettage and electrocauterization.