A children's hospital Hamilton The company said it had suspended tonsil and adenoid surgeries after two patients died last month.
McMaster Children's Hospital The Maternal and Child Health Hospital (MCH) said it is conducting a comprehensive review of the department’s plans “out of an abundance of caution” following reports that two patients had died after being discharged from the hospital following tonsil and adenoid-related surgeries.
“One child died the day after surgery and the second child died nine days after the initial surgery,” said Wendy Stewart, a spokeswoman for Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS).
“We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims.”
The first death occurred in May and the other in early June, Stewart said.
MCH could not confirm any “definitive link” between the two cases, but from Tuesday the hospital has suspended tonsil and adenoids surgery on patients under 18 “until a full review of the program is conducted.”
According to Stewart, the facility is notifying patients and families that scheduled care or surgeries will be impacted.
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Emergency surgeries will continue and its ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinic will remain operational.
“We are working quickly to identify independent, external subject matter experts to support the review and are optimistic that we will be able to commence the review soon,” Stewart said.
“As the review has not yet taken place we cannot speculate on any changes, but we want to reassure the community that we will implement any additional safety measures that may be required.”
The Maternal and Child Health Hospital said that in the past year, the hospital has performed 47 pediatric tonsil surgeries and 537 pediatric tonsil and adenoid-related surgeries.
The hospital said only about 11 percent of children who had tonsil surgery and 5 percent of those who had both tonsil and adenoid surgery returned to the hospital's emergency room for bleeding-related issues.
There is more to come.
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