McMaster Children's Hospital has temporarily suspended scheduled tonsillectomy and adenoid procedures for patients under 18 after officials reported that two pediatric patients who underwent the procedure died shortly after leaving the hospital.

A spokesperson for Hamilton Health confirmed in a statement that one child died in May and another in June. One child died the day following the procedure, while the second died nine days after the operation.

The spokesperson added that although there was no clear link between the two cases, the hospital has suspended tonsillectomy surgeries "out of an abundance of caution."

The statement indicated that procedures will be temporarily paused until a "comprehensive review of the program by independent external parties" is completed.

The statement sent via email to CP24 on Wednesday said, “Our heartfelt condolences to these families for their tragic loss.”

"Our teams are in the process of informing patients and families that their scheduled care/surgery has been affected."

At this stage, the cause of death in both separate cases has not been disclosed.

Hamilton Health Sciences stated that the hospital will continue to perform emergency surgeries, and the ear, nose, and throat clinic "remains operational".