ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The practice of treating ear infections with surgery in the youngest children is now under the microscope after a study conducted in Rochester.
It calls on doctors and parents to reassess tube surgery as a treatment option for chronic ear infections. It's based on new research from the Rochester General Hospital Research Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Surgery is often pursued in children with three ear infections within 6 months. Researchers found that the infections stopped in a majority of cases by the time surgery was planned and performed.
Specialists also found that many children get recurring ear infections based on factors that include:
- Age
- Whether they are in daycare
- The number of infections they have had
"Every year, about half a million children get ear tubes and that consumes over $1 billion in medical care costs just in the United States," said Dr. Michael Pichichero, director of the Rochester General Hospital Research Institute. "Worldwide, children often get tubes often at the same frequency and under the same guidelines as the United States. So this has the potential to really change medical care."
Current guidelines for ear tube surgery to alleviate ear infections has been in place for more than three decades.