Swimming and Ear Tubes?
The bottom line is that children should be allowed to swim in swimming pools and seawater without barrier methods (custom ear plugs, ear putty, bathing caps etc) since prospective clinical trials have not shown that swimming without water protection increases the risk of otorrhea.. Giannoni C, Swimming With Tympanostomy Tubes. Arch Otol H & N surg 2000;126:1507.The practice of recommending water precautions for children with tubes grew out of what physicians thought was reasonable. However, the available evidence demonstrates that either prophylactic eardrops or custom ear molds have ever been shown to be effective, and may actually increase the risk for otorrhea. Water precautions for surface swimming in children with tympanostomy tubes are now considered unnecessary in most children. Otorrhea rates in swimmers with tubes are comparable with or without dry ear precautions. December 2002 by Richard H. Schwartz, MD, and Craig S. Derkay, MD Special to Infectious Diseases in Children.
