Questions About Tonsillectomies To Treat Sleep Apnea After A Child Falls Critically Ill

Questions About Tonsillectomies To Treat Sleep Apnea After A Child Falls Critically Ill
FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2013 file photo, Nailah Winkfield, mother of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, cries before a courtroom hearing regarding McMath, in Oakland, Calif. McMath remains on life support at Children's Hospital Oakland nearly a week after doctors declared her brain dead, following a supposedly routine tonsillectomy. Her family was expected to appear with hospital officials in court Monday, Dec. 23, 2013 to announce the name of the independent physician they have chosen to provide a second opinion on the girl's condition. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2013 file photo, Nailah Winkfield, mother of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, cries before a courtroom hearing regarding McMath, in Oakland, Calif. McMath remains on life support at Children's Hospital Oakland nearly a week after doctors declared her brain dead, following a supposedly routine tonsillectomy. Her family was expected to appear with hospital officials in court Monday, Dec. 23, 2013 to announce the name of the independent physician they have chosen to provide a second opinion on the girl's condition. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

Tonsillectomies fell out of favor in the 1980s, but the procedure has become more common again to treat a new diagnosis — sleep apnea, a breathing disorder — but not without controversy. And the surgery is sure to attract renewed scrutiny because of 13-year-old Jahi McMath of Oakland, Calif., who suffered sudden bleeding from her nose and mouth and cardiac arrest after a Dec. 9 surgery intended to help with her sleeping problem.

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE