Cochrane review: Grommets (ventilation tubes) for recurrent acute otitis media in children
Authors: McDonald Stephen , Langton Hewer Claire D , Nunez Desmond A 
Published: September 2009

Background

Acute suppurative otitis media is one of the most common infectious diseases in childhood. Recurrent acute otitis media is defined for the purposes of this review as either three or more acute infections of the middle ear cleft in a six‐month period, or at least four episodes in a year. Strategies for managing the condition include the assessment and modification of risk factors where possible, repeated courses of antibiotics for each new infection, antibiotic prophylaxis and the insertion of ventilation tubes (grommets).

Objectives

To establish whether ventilation tube insertion reduces the frequency of episodes of recurrent acute otitis media and the proportion of children with symptoms of ear disease.

Search strategy

We searched the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, Issue 1 2008), MEDLINE (1950 to 2008), EMBASE (1974 to 2008), CINAHL, mRCT (the metaRegister of Controlled Trials for ongoing/unpublished trials), NRR (National Research Register), LILACs, KoreaMed, IndMed, PakMediNet, Zetoc, ISI Proceedings and Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Reference lists of articles retrieved from the electronic searches were scanned for further trials. Systematic reviews and other meta‐analyses were also searched for and their reference lists scanned. Contact was sought with authors of published trials and other experts in the field. The date of the last search was March 2008.

Selection criteria

No trials that included a treatment and a control group that met the inclusion criteria were excluded. Abstracts were screened and full text articles of studies that met our inclusion criteria obtained. Two authors independently applied the inclusion criteria. Studies included in the review underwent quality assessment performed independently by all authors adapting the methods outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Data collection and analysis

Data were extracted independently by the authors and synthesised descriptively. Five randomised controlled trials were identified, of which two fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

Main results

Two studies involving 148 children were included in the review. One of these studies, involving 95 children, showed that ventilation tube insertion leads to a mean reduction of 1.5 episodes of acute otitis media in the first six months after treatment. This study also showed a significant increase in the proportion of children with no episodes of AOM (p < 0.001) in the ventilation tube group. The other included study also found a higher proportion of patients in the ventilation tube group had no episodes of AOM in the six months after intervention, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.16).

Authors' conclusions

Ventilation tubes have a significant role in maintaining a 'disease‐free' state in the first six months after insertion. Further research is required to investigate the effect beyond six months. Clinicians should consider the possible adverse effects of grommet insertion before surgery is undertaken.

Plain Language Summary

Grommets (ventilation tubes) for recurrent acute otitis media in children

Acute otitis media is a common disease of childhood, involving inflammation of the space behind the eardrum (the middle ear cleft). Episodes typically involve a fever and a build up of pus that stretches the eardrum causing severe pain. The drum may then rupture, relieving the pain, and a discharge of pus enters the ear canal. A small proportion of children suffer with recurrent acute otitis media, which is defined as either three or more acute infections of the middle ear cleft in a six‐month period, or at least four episodes in a year.

One of the strategies used to treat this condition is the insertion of a miniature plastic ventilation tube (or grommet) into the eardrum, which prevents the painful accumulation of pus in the middle ear. This review aims to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of this treatment in reducing recurrent acute otitis media.

We searched for scientific studies which compared treating children with recurrent acute otitis media with either grommets or a non‐surgical treatment such as antibiotics (or no treatment). In these studies, children with ventilation tubes in place were considered to have suffered an episode of acute otitis media if they had a discharge of pus from the ear.

Five suitable studies were found. The studies were assessed for scientific quality, and two were found to be suitable for further analysis. The combined results from these two studies suggested that more children treated with ventilation tubes are rendered symptom free in the six months following surgery compared to those who received other treatments or no treatment. One of the 2 included studies involving 95 children showed that ventilation tubes reduce the number of episodes of acute otitis media in the first six months after surgery, by an average of 1.5 episodes per child.

When considering the size of this effect, it is important to bear in mind that the studies were not perfect in their design and execution. To be confident in these findings further high‐quality research is required.