Some aspects of blood loss and fluid balance in paediatric adenotonsillectomy.

Attention has recently been drawn to the importance of assessing blood loss in paediatric surgery (Brit. med. 7., 1964), but little has been written about such loss in adenotonsillectomy (Shalom, 1964). In this investigation we have set out to measure the operative blood loss and the degree of pre-operative fluid depletion; the significance of these with regard to postoperative progress is discussed. The opportunity was also taken to compare the effects of two different anaesthetic sequences on the operative blood loss.