The main aim of this study is to compare the incidence rate and severity of deep neck infection (DNI) in patients post-UPPP+ T (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty plus tonsillectomy) and without UPPP+ T. We utilized the data derived from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) of the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2012. Patients who had undergone combined UPPP and tonsillectomy were selected using National Health Insurance (NHI) surgical order. Patients with DNI were selected using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM) code. A logistic regression model was applied for risk analysis. There were 1574 patients in the UPPP+ T cohort, and 6,296 patients who did not undergo combined UPPP and tonsillectomy for the control group. Our analysis showed that patients with an obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) history constitute 76.1% (n = 1198) of the UPPP+ T cohort. Compared to the control group, there was no significantly increased incidence rate of DNI after UPPP+ T within 1-60 months. Patients undergoing combined UPPP and tonsillectomy had a lower intubation rate for DNI, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.47 (95% CI = 0.32-0.69). The combined UPPP and tonsillectomy does not increase the risk of DNI within 1-60 months. Furthermore, combined UPPP and tonsillectomy can reduce the severity for DNI by decreasing the intubation rate and length of hospitalization.
Keywords: National Health Insurance Research Database; deep neck infection; obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.