Obesity tied to Longer operative time in children undergoing Adenotonsillectomy : Study
A study found that children with obesity undergoing adenotonsillectomy experienced longer induction, operative, emergence, and total operating room times compared with children without obesity. Pediatric patients with obesity were also more likely to have asthma or reactive airway disease, highlighting the additional perioperative challenges in this population.
Few studies have analysed the operative length of pediatric adenotonsillectomy (AT) due to obesity. This study bridges this gap by characterising differences in operative times associated with adenotonsillectomy in pediatric patients with and without obesity. This retrospective study included demographic and clinical data for patients aged 3 to 17 years who underwent an adenotonsillectomy between February and December 2016. Induction time, time required to complete the adenotonsillectomy (operative time), time from procedure completion until extubation (emergence time), and total time spent in the operating room (OR) were determined. Two-sample t-tests and Pearson’s tests were used to compare patient data by obesity. Multivariable linear regressions were performed to compare outcome variables by demographic and clinical variables.
The study included 499 patients with an average age of 7.0±3.6 years. Three hundred sixty-three (73%) patients were not obese, and 136 (27%) patients were obese. Obese patients were more likely than non-obese patients to be older and exhibit asthma or reactive airway disease, but less likely to have private insurance or identify as White. Obese patients exhibited higher induction time, operative time, emergence time, and total OR time. In multivariable linear regression, obesity was associated with higher induction time, operative time, and emergence time. The results suggest that obesity is associated with increased adenotonsillectomy operative times, thereby impacting appropriate scheduling and perioperative counselling.
Reference:
Anandan, D., Habib, D. R. S., & Whigham, A. S. (2026). Impact of obesity on operative time in pediatric adenotonsillectomy. Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/01455613261455100
Keywords:
Obesity, Longer, operative time, children, undergoing, Adenotonsillectomy, Study, Anandan, D., Habib, D. R. S., & Whigham, A. S.
