Role of Perioperative Intravenous Dexamethasone in Management of Post Adenotonsillectomy Morbidity: A Single Blinded Randomised Controlled Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of perioperative intravenous dexamethasone in reducing post adenotonsillectomy morbidity in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODS: A Prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled study was conducted at Ekenywa Specialized Hospital. Fifty patients were randomised to receive three doses of intravenous dexamethasone (13 males and 12 females) or placebo (13 males and 12 females) administered eight hourly for the first 24hours after surgery (1mg/kg). Data were analysed using statistical package for social sciences version 21 and P-value<.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Intravenous dexamethasone was found to exert significant effects in terms of reducing the severity of some observed postoperative parameters such as pain scores, post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV), tolerance to oral fluids, discharge from hospital, postoperative hemorrhage, postoperative pain, re-admission and wound healing between the two groups of patients. In this study, dexamethasone did not significantly exert any effect on fever in the first 24 hours after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous dexamethasone is an effective and safe method for reducing post adenotonsillectomy morbidity.