Bilateral Myringotomy Tube Placement Procedure
The procedure I choose to watch is called a bilateral myringotomy tube placement, also known as an ear tube placement, which is the most common surgery performed on children in this country. About a half a million ear tube placement surgeries are preformed every year (Ear Tubes, 2014). The patient undergoing this surgery had a series of middle ear infections that caused fluid to build up in her ears. During a middle ear infection, bacterium enters through the eustachian tube and then into the middle ear producing pus or fluid and this can cause many different problems (O’Reilly, 2014). Not all children have to endure tube placement, only if the fluid from multiple infections doesn’t drain with …show more content…
If proper cleaning of the ear canal does not take place the patient might have a higher risk of getting an infection after the surgery is complete. Next the otolaryngologist is going make a tiny incision on the surface of the ear drum through the outer canal for the PE tube; there is little to no blood when this cut is made (Cunha & Stoppler, 2015). If a tube is not inserted the hole will close up in a few days (Ear Tubes, 2014). The doctor then uses a suction to suck out all of the fluid behind the ear drum which was previously built up from a series of middle ear infections. In this case the patient also had thick pus mixed in with the fluid, because of the infections. Next the PE tube is inserted into the small hole that was previously cut. Once the tube is properly put in place, prescribed drops are then put into the ear and a piece of cotton is used to plug the ear. These prescribed drops are also used by the parents when the young child is at home recovering. This same process is then repeated on the second ear. This will conclude the bilateral myringotomy tube placement, so the patient will now be moved to a recovery …show more content…
Before the patient wakes up the parents are informed of the proper care that needs to take place at home. Medical ear drops used in the operating room will be given to the patient to use for at least three to four days following the actual surgery day (Cunha & Stoppler, 2015). When the child has woken up the nurse will make sure her vital signs are stable before she can leave the outpatient facility to go home and rest. Twenty-four hours after the procedure a nurse or doctor might call to check on the patient. Within a two to three days the young kid should be back to doing her normal activities. However if the patient is complaining of pain or acting unusual the doctor should be notified as soon as