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Patient Information
Patient Information
Ear Tubes — A Caregiver's Guide
6. Ear tubes and ear infections
Ear tubes will help decrease the number of ear infections, but your child may still
get an ear infection when he or she has ear tubes. When the tube is open and
working, you may see drainage at the opening of the ear canal. Before ear tubes,
this drainage would stay in the middle ear, trapped behind the eardrum, unless
the pressure caused the eardrum to burst or rupture. Now that the tube makes
an opening in the eardrum, drainage will come through the ear tube into the ear
canal.
Drainage can be thin, thick, cloudy, yellow, or green, and even bloody. Most
children do not typically have fever or pain when they have ear drainage with
tubes in place.
If you see drainage from the ear, we recommend the following :
1. Antibiotic ear drops, without oral antibiotics, are all that is needed in most
cases (usually ofloxacin or ciprofloxacin-dexamethasone). Do NOT use over
the counter ear drops.
2. Ear drainage may build up or dry at the opening of the ear canal. Remove the
crusting with a cotton-tipped swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide or warm
water. If the drainage is thick, you can also roll up a piece of tissue or toilet
paper to help soak up the drainage out before you use ear drops.
3. Do not swim during infections when there is drainage or discharge coming
from the ear. During bathing, use silicone ear plugs, or coat a small cotton ball
with petroleum jelly and use it to cover the opening of the ear canal.
4. Use the ear drops only for the amount of time recommended by your doctor,
because using them too long could result in a yeast infection.
5. Antibiotics taken by mouth are not needed for most ear drainage with tubes in
place. Sometimes they may be needed if your child has another reason to be on
an antibiotic, or the infection does not go away after using only ear drops.
