Use of Floseal and effects on wound healing and pain in adults undergoing tonsillectomy: randomised comparison versus electrocautery.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of FloSeal(®) (FS, Baxter Healthcare, Deerfield, IL, USA) as a haemostatic matrix in comparison to bipolar electrocautery (EC) after tonsillectomy. Eligible patients were adults undergoing cold-knife tonsillectomy because of recurrent tonsillitis, tonsillar hypertrophy, or peritonsillar abscess (more than 3 months previously). Patients were randomly allocated, on a single-blind basis, to either FS or EC for haemostasis during tonsillectomy. Five experienced surgeons judged the handling of FS application using a five-point scale (very good, good, fair, poor, very poor). Postoperative pain scores were evaluated with a visual analogue scale for 20 days, and the duration under pain medication together with the consumption of pain medication was compared. Wound healing was documented on Days 1-5, 10, and 20. A total of 176 patients were enrolled. Overall, 76/77 (98.7%) of surgeon evaluations of FS handling were judged at least "good". FS-treated patients showed significantly improved wound healing (less thickness of wound plaques) throughout the postoperative observation period, a trend for less postoperative pain (cumulative pain intensity score; P = 0.074), and a significantly shorter duration of pain-medication use (9.5 vs. 11.6 days; P = 0.014) as well as reduced pain-medication consumption/demand (P = 0.032). No difference in the rate of postoperative haemorrhage was observed between the two treatment groups (4.9% for FS patients, 6.0% for EC patients, P = 0.76). In conclusion, this study demonstrates the easy handling of FS application in tonsillectomy. Its use instead of EC after cold-steel tonsillectomy shows beneficial effects on mucosal recovery, as assessed by a decrease in the thickness of wound coating. Furthermore, FS is associated with a significantly shortened duration of pain-medication use and overall reduction in consumption/demand.