Comparison of Post-Tonsillectomy Hemorrhage between Monopolar and Plasma Blade Techniques

Abstract

The plasma blade is an innovative device that was recently introduced for performing tonsillectomy. While one of the benefits of the plasma blade is limited thermal damage, the effects of plasma blades on postoperative hemorrhage have not been thoroughly investigated. Patients who underwent tonsillectomy in our institution between January 2013 and September 2018 were retrospectively enrolled in the study. A total of 1214 patients were enrolled in the study, with 759 participants who underwent monopolar tonsillectomy and 455 participants who underwent plasma blade tonsillectomy. In total, 14 bleeding events occurred in the monopolar group, and 10 events occurred in the plasma blade group. The odds ratio for postoperative bleeding in the plasma blade group was 1.20 (95% CI 0.52 to 2.72). After adjusting for potential confounders, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.34 (95% CI 0.58 to 3.07). In conclusion, there is no significant difference in post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage rates between the traditional monopolar technique and plasma blade technique. Plasma blade tonsillectomy can be considered as safe as traditional monopolar tonsillectomy.