Overview
An ENT specialist may recommend an ear ventilation tube (vent tube) for a child to help treat ear infections that keep coming back or that last a long time.
Vent tubes for the ear are generally only a few millimetres wide.
A vent tube is a tiny tube that is put into a child's eardrum. It helps drain fluid from the middle ear to lessen the risk of ear infections.
Each year, close to 1.1 million vent tube procedures are performed. Most of these are for children between 1 and 3 years old. Out of these 1.1 million procedures:
- About 900,000 are for children receiving their primary or first set of vent tubes
- Around 200,000 procedures are for children who get their adenoids removed and a second set of vent tubes
- Nearly 40,000 procedures are for children who still need a third set of vent tubes
*these are indicative US figures.
Detail - A vent tube in the eardrum allows fluid to drain and helps prevent infection.
Vent tubes may be recommended if:
- There’s still fluid in the ears 3 or 4 months after an ear infection
- There’s fluid in the ears with more than 3 months of hearing loss
- The structure of the eardrum has changed because of ear infections
- A child has repeated ear infections that don’t get better after several months, even with antibiotic treatment