Aarhus University Seal

PhD defence: Martin Mølhave

Better data and a new surgical technique aim to make tonsil surgery safer

Info about event

Time

Friday 18 September 2026,  at 14:00 - 16:00

Location

Auditorium Aula, Regionshospitalet Gødstrup

On Friday 18 September at 14:00, Martin Mølhave defends his PhD dissertation entitled "TONSILS: Tonsillectomy Optimization through Novel Surgical Innovations and Long-term Studies".

Bleeding after tonsil removal is the most important serious complication of an otherwise common surgical procedure. Preventing bleeding requires reliable information about outcomes, knowledge of who is at greatest risk, and evidence about how the choice of surgical technique affects bleeding risk. These questions are addressed in a new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health. 

The PhD project consists of three studies that together examine how tonsil surgery can be made safer. First, the project investigated the quality of the data used to monitor tonsil surgery in Denmark. National registry data were then used to investigate the risk of postoperative bleeding and variation between different patient groups and parts of the healthcare system.

Finally, two surgical techniques were compared in a randomized trial conducted at five Danish hospitals. Fewer patients experienced postoperative bleeding after surgery with the newer BiZact device than after the traditional technique using steel surgical instruments. Overall bleeding occurred in 12% versus 17% of patients, while 5% versus 10% required another operation under general anesthesia because of bleeding. BiZact was also associated with shorter operating time and less blood loss.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Auditorium Aula, Regionshospitalet Gødstrup. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Martin Mølhave
Mail: mm@clin.au.dk 
Phone: +45 30 34 24 01

Read full press release