Sunday, April 20        

A significant reduction in the incidence of otorrhea has been observed by the use of earplugs in children with tympanostomy tubes. The study findings were presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology in Scottsdale, Arizona. The study however revealed that statistically the effect of wearing earplugs was very small. A child would have to wear earplugs for 2.6 years to prevent one episode of otorrhea.

The lead investigator Dr Goldstein pointed out that "traditionally otolaryngologists have forbidden children with ear tubes from getting water in their ears." Over time, the recommendations have become more lenient, allowing children to swim with some form of ear protection. However in the past few years, there have been studies showing that these precautions are not necessary. The authors noticed several design flaws in these studies and hence they decided to address the issue with a prospective, randomized, blinded and controlled trial.

Source: Indegene News Desk