Are you constantly visiting the pediatrician due to your child’s frequent ear infections? If so, ear tube surgery may be in the forecast.

When is ear tube surgery necessary?

Children ages six months to six years may contract frequent ear infections – otherwise known as otitis media – or middle ear inflammation. Ear infections usually occur in the winter months and are commonly treated with antibiotics.

But, some ear infections may not respond to the antibiotics prescribed because the Eustachian tubes in children (the tube that drains fluid from the middle ear to the throat) are not fully developed. This may cause fluid to be trapped behind the ear drum – which then becomes a breeding ground for bacteria - ultimately causing infection.

Usually, if a child has an ear infection that lasts longer than one month, or if fluid persists in the middle ear following an ear infection over two to three months, your child’s pediatrician may suggest ear tube surgery to eliminate the pain and discomfort caused by chronic ear infections.

What is ear tube surgery?

Ear tube surgery is a simple medical procedure that allows air to ventilate the middle ear.

During the surgery, the child is placed under anesthesia and a small incision is made in the eardrum. Then, a small plastic or metal tube is positioned in the incision, which allows air to ventilate the middle ear without having to go through the Eustachian tube.

The procedure lasts approximately 10 minutes, and is considered an outpatient surgery.

The inserted tubes stay in the child’s ear anywhere from six months to three years. It does not require another surgery to remove the tubes – they fall out on their own.

What can I expect after my child has ear tube surgery?

Your child will immediately bounce back from ear tube surgery – most times in just a day or two. But, no matter how great they feel, after your child undergoes ear tube surgery, you should:

• Keep your child’s ear dry at all times
• Use over the counter drugs, such as acetaminophen, for minor pain

 And call your physician if:

• Pain, swelling, redness, drainage or bleeding increases in the surgical area
• Your child develops sign of infection – headache, muscle aches, dizziness or a general ill feeling and fever
• Your child experiences new symptoms like nausea or vomiting

Ear tubes help prevent reoccurring ear infections by air ventilation, but other foreign objects – like water – can enter through the tubes. These foreign objects can promote bacteria from growing and an infection to arise. So, it is imperative that you try and prevent any substances from entering your child’s ear, and you can do that by:

• If your child nurses or drinks from a bottle, always sit them in an upright position when feeding
• Use ear plugs when swimming
• Use ear plugs when washing hair in the bathtub, and have them avoid lying down in the water
• Tell them to avoid any substance that can be squirted in their ears such as hoses or any other liquids (juice box fights aren’t as rare as you think)

Once the ear tubes fall out, your child's ears are able to protect themselves for the most part. Reoccuring ear infections after the age of 6 or 7 are rare, so you should be earache free from now on. If not, be sure to contact your pediatrician so he or she can offer other ear infection solutions specifically for your child.