Ear Tube Replacement
What is a ventilation tube replacement?
Ventilation tubes, also known as ear tubes or tympanostomy tubes, are small tubes that are surgically placed into your child's eardrum by an ENT specialist. They are used to treat fluid in the ears, which can become a breeding ground for bacteria causing painful ear infections and/or hearing loss.
Who needs ear tubes?
While most common in children, fluid in the ear can affect adults too, requiring ear tubes. Watch out for these symptoms, especially in your child, if you’re concerned about fluid in the ear:
Decreased hearing
Ear pain
Repeat ear infections
Trouble balancing
Developmental delays (speech delays in young children can be a sign of hearing loss)
The most common time for a child to need a tube placement is 1 to 3 years old. Once the child reaches 5, most likely they will have a wider and longer eustachian tube (the canal that links the middle ear with the back of the nose), thus, allowing better drainage of fluids from the ear.
What does the procedure involve?
The surgery to insert a vent tube is very safe, simple, quick, and effective. Your ENT specialist makes a very small cut in the eardrum called a myringotomy and puts a vent tube in one or both ears. The vent tubes cause no pain or hearing loss.
In children, a vent tube operation is usually done under general anesthesia at a hospital or surgery center. In adults, it may be performed in an office visit. This procedure is called tympanostomy.
What are the risks associated with this procedure?
Potential risks can vary for everyone, so it is important to discuss any concerns with yours or your child’s doctor. The following are some of the risks that may be discussed:
Ear infections may still develop even after tubes are inserted.
The tubes may fall out:
Usually the tubes will fall out on their own a year post-op. Once they fall out, if ear infections continue to recur, ear tubes may need to be replaced.
In rare cases, the tubes do not fall out on their own and may need surgical intervention to remove them.
It is possible that after the tubes come out, a small scar in the eardrum may be left behind. This may cause some hearing loss.
Like with any surgery, infection after the tubes are inserted is possible.
Sometimes, after the tube comes out, a small hole may remain in the eardrum. This hole may need to be repaired with surgery.
What benefits are to be expected after this procedure?
The benefits of vent tubes will be different for everyone. It is important to discuss this with yours or your child's health care provider and surgeon. The following are some of the possible benefits that may be discussed:
Ear tubes significantly help in reducing the risk of future ear infections.
Hearing is often restored in children who experience hearing problems.
Because hearing loss so often affects speech, tubes are generally good for speech development in children.
In cases where ear infections are causing problems, improvement in your child’s behavior, sleep, and communication is to be expected.
What should I expect on the day of the procedure?
Tympanostomy is the surgical procedure to insert vent tubes and is an outpatient procedure. This means that you or your child will have surgery and then go home that same day. Regardless of age, the procedure takes about 10-15 minutes, with about 2 hours spent in recovery.
The patient will undergo general anesthesia, and the ENT surgeon will begin the procedure by making a small opening in the eardrum to drain the fluid and relieve the pressure from the middle ear. A small tube is then placed in the opening of the eardrum to allow air to flow into the middle ear and to prevent fluid from building up.
Any hearing loss that occurred is usually restored after the fluid is drained. In the recovery room, you or your child will be monitored closely and will go home in an hour or two after surgery.
You will likely follow up with the surgeon a few months following the procedure.
What does recovery at home look like?
Within 24 hours of the surgery, most patients are back to their normal day-to-day lives. Your doctor will provide you with post-op instructions, which may include antibiotic ear drops to prevent infection, or ear plugs may be recommended.
A follow up appointment with your ENT specialist will be scheduled, and if hearing loss occurred before surgery, a hearing test will likely be ordered to mark improvements.
Call your surgeon immediately if the patient is experiencing any of these symptoms after a tympanostomy:
Drainage from the ear after the first few days or and increase in drainage from the ears
Ear pain
Fever
Displaced ear tube