EFFECT OF ADENOTONSILLECTOMY ON ARTERIAL BLOOD-GASES AND ACID-BASE-BALANCE

Adenotonsillitis is quite common in children in India and untreated ca ses may land up with serious cardiopulmonary complications which promo ted us to study arterial blood gases and acid-base balance in these pa tients. The study was conducted in 30 children with chronic adenotonsi llitis and 30 age and sex matched controls. Arterialized capillary blo od samples were taken before and 1 month after surgery while the subje ct was sleeping. Relative hypoxemia, rise in pCO(2) and increased bica rbonates was observed in the study group, whereas change in pH was ins ignificant. The study showed that ventilatory impairment associated wi th adenotonsillar hypertrophy which manifests as hypoxia, hypercarbia and raised bicarbonate levels was reversed after adenotonsillectomy. ( C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. all rights reserved.