After Tonsillectomy, Steroids May Not Increase Bleeding TUESDAY,
Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- A class of drugs commonly given to
children undergoing tonsillectomy is not likely to increase the
risk of serious bleeding after surgery, according to a new U.S.
study. Corticosteroids, which are similar to a natural hormone
produced by the adrenal glands, have been used for many years to
prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting and to decrease airway
swelling, according to background information included in the
study. The practice was approved in guidelines for pediatric
tonsillectomy developed by the American Academy of
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2011. But European
research recently concluded that the drugs can trigger increased
bleeding or hemorrhage. The research was halted before it was
completed due to the increased risk of bleeding that scientists
were seeing among study participants. "The European study, which
was well constructed and designed, had more than a 20 percent
bleed rate at the dose