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Tonsillectomy, with or without adenoidectomy, is one of the most common pediatric ambulatory surgeries, yet the risk:benefit calculation for this procedure is complex. A panel comprised of consumers and specialists in pediatrics, family medicine, otolaryngology, infectious disease, sleep physiology, anesthesia, and nursing developed evidence-based practice guidelines to aid decisions regarding tonsillectomy in children aged 1 to 18 years. Highlights of the guideline for primary care include the following:
Data support some benefit from tonsillectomy in children with >7 infections in the past year, 5 infections per year in the past 2 years, or 3 infections per year in the past 3 years. Tonsillectomy is r…