Will a surgery to put tubes in my child's ears be necessary to avoid hearing or developmental delays if he/she has chronic ear infections?

Question:

Will a surgery to put tubes in my child’s ears be necessary to avoid hearing or developmental delays if he/she has chronic ear infections?

Answer:

No

MedHead Confidence Score: 3

Amount Saved: $887 average cost of surgery to place a tube in the eardrum. post

Med-O-Meter

MedHead Message:

Ear tube surgery is for children who have chronic ear infections to avoid loss of hearing or developmental problems. While it does slightly reduce the overall number of ear infections, there is no change in hearing and likely no change in development if they are put in. Instead, have your child be evaluated for allergies as a potential cause. It may make a big difference.

References:

1. Venekamp RP, Mick P, Schilder AGM, Nunez DA. Grommets (ventilation tubes) for recurrent acute otitis media in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2018, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD012017. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012017.pub2. 2. Steele DW, Adam GP, Di M, Halladay CW, Balk EM, Trikalinos TA. Effectiveness of tympanostomy tubes for otitis media: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics 2017;139(6):e20170125