[Usefulness of preoperative coagulation tests in the prevention of post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage in children].

A retrospective study was made of 266 children undergoing tonsillectomy to determine the usefulness of preoperative coagulation tests for predictin-haemorrhagic complications. A short questionnaire about haemorrhagic history identified 11 children with a positive background but no complications. Eleven children, 4.13%, had post-tonsillectomy bleeding that required a new admission or lengthened the hospital stay only one of which coagulation screening disorders. The determination of coagulation tests in every child had allowed us to diagnose 2 non-clinical cases of Von Willebrand's disease and 4 of lupus anticoagulant but did not identify high risk patients for bleeding, in spite of their medical history. Indiscriminate use of these tests brings no benefit to the patient because they don't give surgeon new information and they increase costs and delay surgery.