Error Traps in Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy: Clinical Patterns, Cognitive Pitfalls, and Evidence‐Informed Mitigation Strategies

Adenotonsillectomy is one of the most common elective pediatric surgeries. However, its routine occurrence can mask substantial preventable risks arising from practitioner inexperience, underappreciated comorbidities, airway proximity to the surgical field, and challenging postoperative pain management. This review highlights common "error traps" that contribute to perioperative adverse events and outlines evidence-based mitigation strategies. Key preoperative challenges include unrecognized moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and recent upper respiratory infections (URIs), both of which markedly increase perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs). Intraoperative hazards include challenging airway management at induction and emergence, risk of airway fire, and excessive opioid administration. Postoperatively, inadequate analgesia and inappropriate disposition planning remain major preventable causes of morbidity. Perioperative management of the child with post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage is uniquely challenging. Structured OSA and URI screening and mitigation strategies, multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia, and institution-specific discharge algorithms are strongly recommended. A systematic, team-based approach emphasizing awareness of cognitive biases, vigilance, protocolized management, and hospital outcome monitoring can significantly reduce preventable complications and improve safety in pediatric adenotonsillectomy.