+44 151 808 1136- Otolaryngology Online Journal (2015) Volume 5, Issue 3
Post-thyroidectomy hematoma : a rare but potentially fatal complication
Background/ objectives: Post-thyroidectomy he-matoma is a rare but fatal complication of thy-roidectomy. The incidence of hematoma has dropped to less than 2-3% due to better preoper-ative preparation & major refinements in surgical techniques. Setting: Department of ENT, Head & Neck Sur-gery, KVG Medical College, Sullia.
Case report: We report a case of post- thyroidec-tomy hematoma in an elective surgery done for a large thyroid. The hematoma occurred 15 minutes after surgery & was managed success-fully under general anaesthesia. Intervention: Urgent evacuation of the hemato-ma was done under general anaesthesia & bleeders were re-ligated. 2 pints of A+ blood was transfused.
Conclusion: Post-thyroidectomy hematoma leading to airway obstruction is a fatal complica-tion which needs emergency management. Post-operative care include attention to the drain, careful monitoring in the recovery room & ap-preciation of subtle signs of respiratory distress. So every thyroidectomy case can bleed & cause hematoma complication. Prevention & early in-tervention can avoid fatal complications.
Author(s): Sudhir M Naik ,Ravishankara S , Shankarnaraynabhat , Mohan Appaji ,Gautham MK ,Pinky Devi N , Sarika S Naik