How long do grommets last

A small opening is made in the eardrum using a microscope to magnify the area and the fluid is sucked out of the ear with a fine sucker. The grommet is then placed in the opening in the eardrum. The procedure takes between ten and twenty minutes. Grommets fall out by themselves as the eardrum is constantly growing. They may stay in for six months, or a year, or sometimes even longer in older children. You may not notice when they drop out. Glue ear tends to get better by itself, but this can take a while.

We like to leave children alone for the first three months, because about half of them will get better in this time. After three months, we will see your child again and decide whether we need to put in grommets.

If the glue ear is not causing any problems, we can just wait for it to settle by itself. If it is causing problems with poor hearing, poor speech or lots of infections, it may be better to put grommets in. If we do put in grommets, the glue ear may come back when the grommet falls out. This happens to one child out of every three who has grommets put in. We may need to put more grommets in to last until your child grows out of the problem. You may change your mind about the operation at any time, and signing a consent form does not mean that your child has to have the operation.

If you would like to have a second opinion about the treatment, you can ask your specialist. He or she will not mind arranging this for you. Steroid nasal sprays may help some children if they have nasal allergy; Congestion in the nose caused by allergy may affect the normal function of the nose and ears. Antibiotics, antihistamines and decongestants do not help this type of ear problem. Alternative treatments, such as cranial osteopathy are not helpful. Taking out the adenoids may help the glue ear get better, and your surgeon may want to do this at the same time as putting grommets in.

A hearing aid can sometimes be used to treat the poor hearing and speech problems that are caused by glue ear. This would mean that your child would not need an operation. With time, this fluid becomes sticky and stops the eardrum and ossicles vibrating as they should. One of these tests tympanometry tests the mobility of the eardrum and can give an indication of whether glue is present.

Your child may already have been diagnosed by the time you visit GOSH, or we might diagnose it here. If your child has a single case of glue ear, it may clear up by itself. However, if it continues and starts to affect their speech, language or schooling, the doctor may suggest treatment using grommets, which are inserted during an operation. Grommets are tiny tubes inserted into the eardrum. They allow air to pass through the eardrum, keeping the air pressure on either side equal.

The surgeon makes a tiny hole in the eardrum and inserts the grommet into the hole. It usually stays in place for six to 12 months and then falls out. Every operation carries some risk of infection and bleeding but the hole in the eardrum is tiny, so this risk is reduced. Around one in every children may develop a perforated eardrum. If this continues, we can repair it later. Every anaesthetic carries a risk, but it's very small.

For persistent glue ear, grommets are the treatment of choice. Antibiotics can help but only in the short term. You'll have received information in your admission letter about how you can prepare your child for the operation. Grommets fall out by themselves and do not need to be removed.

It varies from person to person but they usually fall out after months. Before the day of your operation you will be seen at pre-assessment clinic. If you have other medical problems, you might also have an appointment arranged for you with an anaesthetist the doctor that puts you to sleep for the operation. You will be asked to stop eating six hours before coming into hospital and notto drink anything otherthan clearfluids up to two hours before coming into hospital.

Clear fluids are water, black tea and black coffee. On the day of surgery you will be admitted to a ward where nursing staff will go through some paper work with you. You will be seen by a member of the surgical team. They will go through the operation and consent form with you. You will also be seen by an anaethetist who will discuss how you will be put to sleep and answer any questions you may have about this. After your operation, you will come back to the ward to recover. After a few hours, once you have fully recovered, you will be able to go home.

Grommet surgery is usually performed under a general anaesthetic where you will be asleep but it can be done awake with a local anaesthetic too. A small opening is made in the ear drum which allows the grommet to be inserted. The operation is performed down the ear canal, using a microscope. There will be no cuts or scars to see on the outside of the ear.

Your doctor will discuss the risks of the surgery with you on the day of operation and any specific risks in your particular case. If you have a general anaesthetic you will need one day off work. If you have the procedure done under local anaesthetic you can return to work the next day.