BISMUTH SUBGALLATE - ITS ROLE IN TONSILLECTOMY

There have been many attempts at identifying substances and describing methods that would assist the surgeon and be of benefit to the patien t undergoing a tonsillectomy. The use of bismuth subgallate as a haemo static adjunct during tonsillectomy has only been described previously in retrospective studies. A controlled prospective randomized trial o f 100 paediatric patients, in which 50 patients had a tonsillectomy pe rformed using bismuth subgallate as a haemostatic agent and in which t he remainder did not have any associated haemostatic substance, is pre sented here. Data on 72 patients was analysed, 39 patients belonging t o the bismuth subgallate group and the remaining 33 to the control gro up. The time for haemostasis was three to 18(mean 7.8) minutes in the bismuth group. It was four to 16 (mean 9.9) minutes in the non-bismuth group. These figures are statistically significant. The range of ties used in the bismuth group was none to three (mean 1.5) ties and one t o seven (mean 3.4) ties in the non-bismuth group. These figures are al so statistically significant. The remainder of the recorded parameters did not differ significantly. It was found that bismuth subgallate/ad renaline paste decreases operating time by significantly reducing the haemostasis time and the number of ties required but does not decrease post-operative morbidity.