Smart health facts: Ear tubes
If your child has been suffering from chronic ear infections, you may be considering surgery to add ear tubes to reduce and drain fluid behind the eardrums. During ear tube surgery, a surgeon makes a small hole in the eardrum and inserts a plastic tube.
Why your child might need ear tubes
- To lessen the number and severity of middle-ear infections
- To clear out fluid that’s making it hard to hear
- To reduce pain caused by fluid build-up
- To decrease the frequency of ear infections
Understand the risks of ear tubes
- Scarring of the eardrum
- Drainage from the ear
- Allergic reaction to the anesthesia, medicine or materials that are used during surgery
- Infection
Ask your doctor about other options
If your doctor suggests this surgery for your child, you might want to get a second opinion and/or discuss these alternatives:
- Treat the infections with antibiotics
- Soothe pain with warm compresses
- Prevent ear infections by avoiding second-hand smoke, pets, pollen and dust
- Wait and see - as children grow, their Eustachian tubes also grow, and plastic tubes may not be needed
Learn more
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Other sources of information:
1Journal of American Medical Association
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