Tonsil, adenoid surgeries to restart at Ontario children’s hospital months after 2 deaths

An Ontario hospital that paused tonsil and adenoid surgeries after the deaths of two children it had treated is set to resume the procedures, saying a comprehensive review found no issues with its surgeries or care.

In early June, Hamilton Health Sciences paused all tonsil and adenoid surgeries for children after two deaths were reported among patients who had undergone the procedures.

At the time, the hospital said one child died the day after the surgery, while the second died nine days after the initial procedure. The hospital didn’t pinpoint a specific cause or link with the deaths but hit pause to complete a review.

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Hamilton Health Sciences now says it has completed that review, looking at how it completes its pediatric ear, nose and throat surgeries. The complete review did not find any evidence the way the surgeries were run had caused the two deaths, the hospital said.

“The review is now complete and did not identify any specific actions, absence of actions, quality of care concerns, or systems issues that directly or indirectly contributed to the two deaths,” the hospital said in a statement.

Global News contacted the Ministry of Health for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones said in June that the deaths had “just happened” and refused to comment further.

“I know that McMaster paused any further surgeries and I leave it to McMaster to comment on anything more specific,” Jones said in June.

Hamilton Health Sciences said surgeries will begin again on Oct. 7 and is in the process of contacting families to organize times.

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