Factors Your Doctor May Consider – Ventilation Tubes

Your paediatrician or ENT specialist may recommend an ear ventilation tube (vent tube) for your 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 your child's eardrum. It may help drain fluid from the middle ear to lessen the risk of ear infections.

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
• Your child has repeated ear infections that don’t get better after several months, even with antibiotic treatment

Detail - A vent tube in the eardrum may allow fluid to drain and may help prevent infection.

Section Navigation

• Getting a Ventilation Tube or a Power-Assisted Adenoidectomy
• Ear Ventilation Tubes
  • Factors Your Doctor May Consider
  • Surgery: What to Expect
• Power-Assisted Adenoidectomy
  • Surgery: What to Expect

Additional information