Complications Following Lingual Tonsillectomy: Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Database

Objective The objective of this study was to describe the postoperative morbidity of adults undergoing lingual tonsillectomy. Methods This is a retrospective study performed at an academic medical center. Adults who underwent lingual tonsillectomy were identified using the 2014-2022 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database via Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code 42870. Data collected included patient demographics, comorbidities, length of stay, readmissions, reoperations, and postoperative complications. Linear regression was used to analyze variable effects on length of stay. Results Two hundred and thirty-two patients were included, 129 (55.6%) females and 103 (44.4%) males, with a mean age of 51.6 years (range 18-87 years). Thirty (12.9%) were diabetic, 48 (20.7%) were smokers, and 76 (32.8%) had hypertension treated with medications. Length of stay ranged from 0 to 19 days, with a median of one day, and diabetes was associated with increased length of stay (p=0.004). Within 30 days post-operation, there was one (0.4%) mortality. Complications included three (1.3%) cases of pneumonia, three (1.3%) cases of urinary tract infections, two (0.9%) reintubations, two (0.9%) cases requiring mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours, one (0.4%) case of septic shock, and one (0.4%) case requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Three (1.3%) patients returned to the operating room, and three (1.3%) were readmitted for a related reason. There were two cases of postoperative hemorrhage within 30 days. Conclusion This analysis demonstrated a low risk for morbidity and mortality among lingual tonsillectomy patients.