A member asked:

Do u need to get put to sleep to get ear tubes inserted?

3 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

Depends: This is delicate work, involving cutting a hole in a sensitive ear drum after cleaning & sanitizing the ear canal, then any mucous or debris is suctioned out of the middle ear with a vacuum that sounds like a train bearing down on you. I suppose an adult might want to tough it out awake, understanding that any movement might mess things up, but it wouldn't work for infants/kids.

Answered 3/2/2019

5.6k views

Thank

No: As an ent, i always go to the operating room to place tubes in children. 95% of adults who receive ear tubes in my practice choose to have this done in the office. Under a microscope the ear drum is anaesthetized with topical phenol, a microscopic incision placed, any fluid suctioned from the ear, and a tube placed in the incision. All this takes less than 5 minutes.

Answered 8/4/2014

5.3k views

Thank

Related Questions

Sponsored Content
HealthTap Medical Group does not endorse products or services. Sponsored content revenues support our mission to make health information free and accessible to all.Learn more