Before-surgery guide
Getting Ready for Ear Tubes
Quick answer: Ear tubes are tiny vents placed in the eardrum through a small cut, using a microscope. Placement takes about 5 to 10 minutes, and when it is done under general anesthesia, children usually breathe gas through a mask with no breathing tube. Follow the eating and drinking times exactly. Most children go back to daycare or school the next day.
How is the procedure done?
- A small cut is made in the eardrum while looking through a microscope. Any fluid behind the eardrum is removed, and a tiny tube is placed in the opening, where it sits in the eardrum.
- Placement takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Tubes usually stay in place for 6 to 18 months, then fall out on their own. Sometimes they fall out sooner or stay longer.
- When it is done under general anesthesia, it usually only needs gas breathed through a mask, with no breathing tube.
Our ear tubes page explains who ear tubes help.
- 1Ear canal
- 2Eardrum
- 3Ear tube
- 4Middle ear (filled with air)
- 5Hearing bones
- 6Eustachian tube (runs to the back of the nose)
Where the tube goes. The tiny tube sits in the eardrum and lets air into the middle ear. It usually falls out on its own in 6 to 18 months.
What are the risks?
Every procedure has risks. Your surgeon will go over them with you before surgery, and you can ask about any of them.
- Anesthesia is safe, but it has some risks. The anesthesia team can go over them with you. Tell us if anyone in your family has had a problem with anesthesia.
- Pain, bleeding and infection are risks of any procedure.
- Ear drainage happens in up to 1 in 4 people with tubes. It is treated with ear drops.
- A hole in the eardrum can stay after the tube falls out. This happens in about 2 in 100 cases with short-term tubes.
- Eardrum scarring. It usually causes no symptoms, but rarely it can affect hearing.
- Cholesteatoma, skin growing into the space behind the eardrum, happens in fewer than 1 in 100. It can cause long-lasting infections and drainage and would need more surgery.
- More sets of tubes or other procedures may be needed.
How do I get ready?
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As soon as surgery is scheduled
- Give us a list of every medicine, vitamin and supplement you (or your child) take. We will tell you which to stop and when.
- If you smoke or vape, stop now: it helps healing and makes anesthesia safer. Keep children away from smoke and vaping.
- Plan the day. Most children go back to daycare or school, and adults go back to work, the day after surgery.
- Arrange for an adult to drive you home. After general anesthesia, we recommend having an adult stay with you (or you and your child) the first night.
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1 to 2 weeks before
- Adults: aspirin is usually stopped 1 to 2 weeks before surgery. If you take aspirin or a blood thinner for your heart, a stent or stroke prevention, do not stop it on your own: your surgeon will check with whoever prescribes it.
- Children: tell us if your child takes any medicine that thins the blood. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.
- Ask about herbal remedies and supplements, which can raise the chance of bleeding.
- Get the supplies in the next section.
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The night before
- Follow the eating and drinking instructions from our office or the surgery center exactly. Eating or drinking when you should not can mean surgery is postponed for safety.
- For children: clear liquids are allowed up to 2 hours before surgery, breast milk up to 4 hours before, and formula or cow’s milk up to 6 hours before. All other food stops at midnight. Follow the exact times we or the surgery center give you.
- Take only the medicines we said to take that morning, with a small sip of water.
- Get a good night’s sleep.
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The day of surgery
- Wear comfortable clothes. For children, a favorite blanket or toy can help.
- Bring your photo ID, insurance card and list of medicines.
- Placement takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Plan to be there longer, for check-in and waking up.
What should I have at home?
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) in the right form and dose for your child’s age and weight
- Clear liquids for the first few hours after anesthesia
- Ear drops, if we prescribe them
What happens after the procedure?
- Most children go back to daycare or school, and adults go back to work, the next day.
- A little drainage for the first few days can be normal. Later drainage is treated with antibiotic ear drops.
- Ear plugs are not needed for baths, showers or clean pools.
- Your first follow-up visit is usually about 2 weeks after surgery, then checkups about every 6 months until the tubes come out.
The Ear Tube Recovery Guide has everything you need after the procedure, including when to call us.
When should I call before surgery?
Call us for
- You (or your child) get a cold, fever, ear infection, sore throat or other illness in the week before surgery
- You start a new medicine, or a doctor changes your blood thinner
- You could be pregnant
- You have questions about the procedure or its risks, or you need to reschedule
Austin 512-339-4040 · Lakeway 512-682-4798 · Marble Falls 830-992-2830
Questions patients ask
Placement takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Plan to be there longer, for check-in and waking up.
Usually not. When ear tubes are placed under general anesthesia, children usually breathe the anesthesia gas through a mask, with no breathing tube.
Clear liquids up to 2 hours before, breast milk up to 4 hours before, and formula or cow's milk up to 6 hours before. All other food stops at midnight. Follow the exact times we give you.
This guide is for educational purposes only and does not replace an in-person evaluation. If your surgeon gave you different instructions, follow theirs.
Sources
- Rosenfeld RM, Tunkel DE, Schwartz SR, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Tympanostomy Tubes in Children (Update). Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2022;166(1 Suppl):S1-S55. PubMed
- Joshi GP, Abdelmalak BB, Weigel WA, et al. 2023 American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Guidelines for Preoperative Fasting. Anesthesiology. 2023;138(2):132-151. PubMed