More than 12 percent of children of 4-6 years in age in the United States have snoring problems. They may have associated daytime and nocturnal symptoms; a small proportion can create complications such as nocturnal enuresis, poor school performance and rarely, abnormal enlargement of the right side of the heart. The snoring child forms a range of disease severity from Primary Snoring (PS) to the most complicated Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
Children With OSA
Children who suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea have breathing difficulties intermittently throughout the night and snore very stridently. In children with normal weight, OSA is generally a result of enlargement of the tonsils and adenoids; this aggravates upper airway collapse, which disrupts normal breathing at night.
For children who are victims of OSA, a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery can provide great relief and is one of the effective ways to prevent snoring and solving sleep issues for 85 to 95 percent of children.
Some Facts Of Tonsillectomy And Adenoidectomy
Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are medical surgeries that remove the adenoids or the tonsils. Let’s see at some facts of Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy:
- When both tonsil and adenoids have to be removed, adenoidectomy is performed.
- When only tonsils have to be removed, tonsillectomy is performed.
- It takes 2 weeks’ time for your child to recover fully from the operation.
- You can easily take care of the child from home by giving regular medicines as the surgeon prescribed.
- Don’t give any medicine on your own especially aspirin or salicylic acids, it may create difficulties for the child as it’ll increase the risk of bleeding.
- Bleeding from the operation is the main complication; if you notice excessive bleeding, call for emergency services.
The surgery takes a little time, so it requires a stay in the hospital for:
- Keeping an eye on nerve injury, swelling of the throat, and sleepiness. The medicines and the surgery performed can cause this.
- Checking the level of body oxygen for first 2 to 3 nights after the surgery.
- Children who are below or 3 years old and who have other medical disorders, are more likely to have complications, such as difficulty in breathing. These children generally need CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) after surgery.
There are different kind of effective techniques to remove the adenoids, tonsils and ways to prevent snoring. The technique that has to be used depends on the patient’s history of any previous infection, anatomy, and the main reason behind performing adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy.
Improved Surgical Instruments
With an advent in medical technology, improved surgical instruments are used to perform adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy surgery. A few years ago, The Coblation technique was used that used to minimize tissue pain, allowing for less pain after surgery and faster recovery. More recently, the Plasma Knife is used to perform the surgery. It allows for more detailed surgery with very nominal damage of the tissue. It is one of the preferred instruments nowadays for most tonsillectomies and has shown good and effective results so far.
Fluid Diet For Easy Recovery
Encourage your child to drink and eat softer foods initially. Avoid giving acidic food items and hot liquids instead give him ice-blocks or cool fluids. Fluids help your child to recover easily and prevent dehydration and blood clots after the surgery.