Teenage Girl Suffers Brain Death After Tonsillectomy

By now you may have heard about the unfortunate story involving a teenage girl in Oakland, Calif. who suffered brain death after a routine tonsillectomy to treat her sleep apnea. This tragic story tugs at heartstrings and may raise concerns among parents seeking treatments for their own children. First, tonsillectomy is routinely indicated for the treatment of sleep apnea in children and adolescents. When tonsils or adenoids are enlarged, these tissues can obstruct the airway. During sleep, this may lead to interruption of breathing and pauses that characterize sleep apnea. This can have serious consequences, including impacts on behavior and growth. Children should never chronically snore. The presence of chronic snoring or sleep apnea may prompt further evaluation by a sleep specialist. After a sleep study demonstrates the presence of sleep apnea, which for children under 18 is the presence of an AHI greater than 1 event per hour, the specialist will usually review treatment options. The more common options include tonsillectomy, allergy treatment, and possibly orthodontic treatment with rapid maxillary expansion. Weight loss and even continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may be used as well in certain cases. Tonsillectomy was a very common procedure decades ago with most children undergoing the surgery. More recently, it has been used more selectively. Nevertheless, there are inherent risks to any surgical procedure. These include the risk of infection, bleeding, a...
Source: About Sleep Disorders - Category: Sleep Medicine Source Type: news