Surgery rethink after 'tonsils deaths'

Surgeons are reportedly 'relieved' at the U-turn

The Department of Health has been forced to rethink its use of disposable surgery equipment in routine tonsil surgery after the instruments were reportedly blamed for the deaths of two patients.

The single-use kit was introduced last year as a precaution against the risk of spreading the human form of "mad cow" disease, vCJD.

But following a series of operating theatre problems, hospitals in England have been ordered to switch back to the traditional, reusable tools.

The Times newspaper reports that the £25m throwaway kit caused hundreds of cases of secondary haemorrhaging and the deaths of a 33-year-old woman and a two-year-old boy.

The risk of vCJD prompted the single-use equipment

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "Following reports of increased adverse incidents, the Medical Devices Agency issued a hazard notice in October advising surgeons on how to use the single-use diathermy forceps, which are used to seal the surgical wounds.

"Despite these measures, one patient died in November after tonsil surgery.

"The Department of Health suspended the use of single-use diathermy forceps on November 4 and following further inquiries the Department announced the reintroduction of re-usable instruments on December 18."

The spokeswoman said an investigation of tonsillectomies had been carried out, and the results were being examined.

The vast majority of us said thank God and sighed with relief to be back with proper quality instruments

Dr Grant Bates
Surgeon

She added there was always a small number of deaths from tonsil surgery and it was not clear that more people died last year.

The single-use instruments for tonsil surgery, including forceps, were introduced in June to combat what was described as the "theoretical risk" of vCJD.

The Times said two patients - a two-year-old and a 33-year-old - had both died after tonsillectomies went wrong, while hundreds of patients had been injured after disposable instruments were used.

Grant Bates, the head of Britain's ear, nose and throat surgeons, told the newspaper that surgeons were relieved when officials ordered the return to traditional instruments.

Risk assessment

Mr Bates, a surgeon at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, reportedly said: "The forceps were too thick. The vast majority of us said thank God and sighed with relief to be back with proper quality instruments."

He said the risk of secondary bleeding increased from the usual three per cent to 20 per cent in some hospitals.

Approximately 6,500 tonsillectomies are carried out each month.