What happens before a tonsillectomy?
Before surgery, your healthcare provider will do a routine check to make sure you’re healthy enough for surgery. They may also request blood tests.
Your healthcare provider will give you a list of detailed preoperative instructions. You should follow these guidelines closely.
What happens during a tonsillectomy?
Your healthcare provider will give you general anesthesia to keep you asleep and comfortable during your procedure. Next, they’ll remove your tonsils. You won’t feel pain during this step. Surgeons use many methods to perform tonsillectomies, including:
- Electrocautery: This method uses heat to remove the tonsils and stop any bleeding.
- Cold knife (steel) dissection: A surgeon uses a scalpel (traditional surgical knife) to remove your tonsils. Then, they’ll stop the bleeding with electrocautery (extreme heat) or sutures.
- Snare tonsillectomy: A surgeon uses a special surgical instrument called a snare, which has a thin wire loop at the end. Once your surgeon frees your tonsil, they’ll place this device around it to clamp it off. This helps reduce bleeding.
- Harmonic scalpel: This method uses ultrasonic vibrations to remove your tonsils and stop bleeding at the same time.
- Other methods include the use of radiofrequency ablation techniques, carbon dioxide lasers, and/or a microdebrider (which uses a combination of suction and cutting).
How long does a tonsillectomy take?
In most cases, a tonsillectomy takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. It could take longer in some instances.
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What happens after a tonsillectomy?
After your tonsillectomy, your medical team will transfer you to a recovery area. There, your provider will check your vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate and blood oxygen levels) and make sure there are no postoperative complications.
Tonsillectomy is usually an outpatient procedure. This means you can go home on the same day. Complications are rare, but if they arise, your provider might keep you in the hospital overnight to monitor your progress.
