What Is Balloon Sinuplasty?

Balloon Sinuplasty is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of blocked sinuses. The procedure opens sinus passages, relieving the pain and pressure associated with chronic sinusitis. Balloon Sinuplasty is safe, effective and minimally invasive. Balloon Sinuplasty is a great alternative to medication and invasive surgery, enabling permanent relief for sinus sufferers.

Why Choose Balloon Sinuplasty?

GET YOUR LIFE BACK – 96% of patients experience positive results 

MINIMALLY INVASIVE – No cutting or loss of nasal tissues or bone

SAFE – Over 500,000 patients treated

AVAILABLE IN-OFFICE – Comfortable, familiar environment

FAST RECOVERY – Average 2-day recovery period

LASTING RELIEF – Long-term symptom relief

How Does Balloon Sinuplasty Work?

Step 1. Access the Sinus
A soft, flexible guide wire is inserted into the blocked sinus.

Step 2. Open the Sinus
The balloon is advanced over the guide wire and is inflated to gently expand the sinus opening.

Step 3. Irrigate the Sinus
Fluid is sprayed into the infected sinus to flush out pus and mucus.

Step 4. Durable Results
The system is removed, leaving the sinus open, which enables long-term relief.

Dr. Malis Now Offers 3D Navigation Balloon Sinuplasty!

What Is 3D Navigation Balloon Sinuplasty?

The newly launched system uses 3-dimensional, real-time, GPS-like navigation to enable the safest and most minimally invasive Balloon Sinuplasty procedure. Dr. Malis is the first ENT in Florida to utilize this 3D Navigation Technology in the treatment of chronic sinusitis.

Learn more about the benefits of 3D Navigation Balloon Sinuplasty.

Balloon Sinuplasty and 3D Navigation Technology is not appropriate for all candidates and is affected by clinical and insurance data. For more details on patient eligibility, please contact My Family ENT.

Privacy Policy

Protecting your private information is our priority. This Statement of Privacy applies to www.myfamilyent.com and My Family ENT and governs data collection and usage. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, unless otherwise noted, all references to My Family ENT include www.myfamilyent.com and My Family ENT. The My Family ENT website is a business site. By using the My Family ENT website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

Collection of your Personal Information

In order to better provide you with products and services offered on our Site, My Family ENT may collect personally identifiable information, such as your:

•  First and Last Name
•  Mailing Address
•  E-mail Address
•  Phone Number

My Family ENT may also collect anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your:

• Age
• Gender

We do not collect any personal information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us. However, you may be required to provide certain personal information to us when you elect to use certain products or services available on the Site. These may include: (a) registering for an account on our Site; (b) entering a sweepstakes or contest sponsored by us or one of our partners; (c) signing up for special offers from selected third parties; (d) sending us an email message; (e) submitting your credit card or other payment information when ordering and purchasing products and services on our Site. To wit, we will use your information for, but not limited to, communicating with you in relation to services and/or products you have requested from us. We also may gather additional personal or non-personal information in the future.

Use of your Personal Information

My Family ENT collects and uses your personal information to operate its website(s) and deliver the services you have requested.

My Family ENT may also use your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from My Family ENT and its affiliates.

Sharing Information with Third Parties

My Family ENT does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties.

My Family ENT may share data with trusted partners to help perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or arrange for deliveries. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to My Family ENT, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

My Family ENT may disclose your personal information, without notice, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on My Family ENT or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of My Family ENT; and/or (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of My Family ENT, or the public.

Tracking User Behavior

My Family ENT may keep track of the websites and pages our users visit within My Family ENT, in order to determine what My Family ENT services are the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within My Family ENT to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.

Automatically Collected Information

Information about your computer hardware and software may be automatically collected by My Family ENT. This information can include: your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times and referring website addresses. This information is used for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of the My Family ENT website.

Links

This website contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.

Security of your Personal Information

My Family ENT secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. My Family ENT uses the following methods for this purpose:

• SSL Protocol

When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other websites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.

We strive to take appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or alteration of your personal information. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, you acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations inherent to the Internet which are beyond our control; and (b) security, integrity, and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and us through this Site cannot be guaranteed.

Children Under Thirteen

My Family ENT does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen. If you are under the age of thirteen, you must ask your parent or guardian for permission to use this website.

E-mail Communications

From time to time, My Family ENT may contact you via email for the purpose of providing announcements, promotional offers, alerts, confirmations, surveys, and/or other general communication. In order to improve our Services, we may receive a notification when you open an email from My Family ENT or click on a link therein.

External Data Storage Sites

We may store your data on servers provided by third party hosting vendors with whom we have contracted.

Changes to this Statement

My Family ENT reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat personal information by sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your account, by placing a prominent notice on our site, and/or by updating any privacy information on this page. Your continued use of the Site and/or Services available through this Site after such modifications will constitute your: (a) acknowledgment of the modified Privacy Policy; and (b) agreement to abide and be bound by that Policy.

Contact Information

My Family ENT welcomes your questions or comments regarding this Statement of Privacy. If you believe that My Family ENT has not adhered to this Statement, please contact My Family ENT at:

My Family ENT
1499 S. Harbor City Blvd, Suite 303
Melbourne, Florida 32901

Email Address:
info@myfamilyent.com

Telephone number:
321-254-5437

Effective as of January 26, 2018

Nasal Care Instructions

General Instructions:

Saline (saltwater) Irrigation

• Ocean Mist® or Ayr® pump spray or a high quality contact lens wetting solution such as Bausch & Lomb® can be used to irrigate the nose.
• Contact lens solution is buffered salt water made gently for the eyes, so it is less irritating to the nose.
• Do not use contact lens cleaning solution.
• Saline solution can be vigorously flushed into each nostril. This can be applied from a squirt bottle, baby bulb aspirator or product bottle. Your child may sneeze or cough. The more vigorously you can flush, the more you will be rewarded by improved nasal breathing. This can be repeated several time a day when there is a lot of mucous discharge and can be especially valuable in early AM and before bedtime applications. It can be applied before and/or after nasal decongestant spray usage.
• Saline should not be used after nasal steroid spray (Flonase®, Rhinocort®, Nasacort®, etc.) application.

Nasal Decongestant Spray

• Afrin or generic oxymetazoline 0.05% can be an effective decongestant in some situations.
• Afrin will open the nasal passages within a few minutes, providing immediate relief of nasal congestion. This can be especially helpful at bedtime to allow nasal breathing, and better quality, more comfortable rest.
• Afrin is applied as 1-2 squirts to each nostril. Repeat application in 5-10 minutes will further decongest the nose if the first dose is ineffective.
• Saline nasal irrigation after Afrin® application can be very helpful to remove plugged debris and mucous.
• Afrin® and related products should be used infrequently, no more than twice a day for 2-3 days. Afrin® and other decongestant sprays can cause rebound congestion, i.e. addiction to the ingredients making it worse.
• Neosynephrine® is NOT recommended due to potential cardiac/heart rate effects.
• Infant Afrin® is a different medication than “regular strength” Afrin® and is NOT recommended.

Nasal Steroid Sprays (Veramyst®, Nasonex®, Flonase®, Nasacort AQ®, Rhinocort®, etc.)

• Nasal Steroids such as these can be a very effective means to reduce nasal congestion.
• They are safe at doses recommended because they are topical/local medications and not absorbed into the body.
• There is less absorption of these preparations of steroids than commonly used asthma steroid inhalers.
• They do not, however, provide immediate relief from congestion like decongestants such as Afrin®.
• If you have been instructed to use nasal steroids, you must take them once a day, every day, to work well. Even with a cold or upper respiratory infection they will be effective. Nasal steroids take from a few days to up to two weeks to be fully effective. You should not start and stop usage, especially after obtaining relief from congestion. I will outline an appropriate trial for usage.
• Nasal steroid sprays are usually once-a-day applications of one or two squirts in each nostril as the patient sniffs in. If the first squirt is effective, the second may not be necessary. The spray should be directed into the nose, with the applicator tip inside the nostril directed at an angle parallel to the floor of the nose, slightly upward, not toward the eye or the ear. The patient should feel the gentle effect of the cool spray deep into the nose. Avoid bumping the walls of the nose with the applicator – minor trauma (bleeding) sometimes will occur.

Nose Blowing

• Even young children can blow their nose with some simple coaxing and rewards. Blowing the nose can be very effective in cleaning secretions/mucous from the nose and minimizes the need for other medications.
• A couple of simple instructions may help even a reluctant child learn the fine art of nose blowing. First, try having the child blow a tissue held in front of the face with the mouth – simple in and out – so they can see the tissue flop in the breeze. Then switch to blow air in the mouth and out the nose. The more the tissue moves the greater the reward.

Miscellaneous

• Vaseline®, Bacitracin® or Polysporin® ointment can help with nasal irritation, crusting or chaffing in the front of the nose. Apply with a Q-tip and apply liberally, but only a half-inch or the depth of the head of the Q-tip. This will moisturize and lubricate the front of the nose and help keep secretions from sticking, causing less irritation or itching.
• The above mentioned products are available from your pharmacy as a prescription (nasal steroids) or over the counter (saline spray, Afrin®).

Post-Operative Maxillary Balloon Sinuplasty Instructions

General Instructions:

Following Maxillary Balloon Sinuplasty surgery (an operation to enlarge the maxillary sinus openings), it is normal to have some mild pain and some minimal bloody drainage from the nose; this will gradually decrease over the first few days after surgery. If necessary, you can use the medications listed below for the first several days after surgery to minimize these symptoms.

Precautions

None.

Medications

• Oxymetazoline (Afrin®, Dristan®, Genasal®) may be used – 1 spray each nostril twice daily for the first 3 days following surgery to reduce the amount of bloody nasal discharge and congestion.
• Normal saline (Ocean®, Ayr®) nasal sprays may be used to moisturize and irrigate the nasal passages. Administer 1-2 sprays to each nostril 3 to 4 times daily.

Post Operative Appointment

Unless otherwise instructed, your child needs an appointment 6 weeks following surgery.

Post-Operative Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Instructions

General Instructions:

• Following Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (an operation to enlarge the sinus openings), absorbable packing may be placed inside the nose that may need to be removed at your first post-operative visit. Not infrequently, it may come out on its own prior to this visit – do NOT worry, this is not a problem.
• It is normal to have some bloody drainage from the nose; this will gradually decrease over the first few days after surgery.
• A “moustache” dressing is used to collect the drainage from the nose. You may change the dressing as needed.

Precautions

• Avoid blowing the nose for the first 2 weeks.
• Try to sneeze through the mouth instead of the nose.
• Call our office if there is any bright red bleeding, vomiting of blood clots, or spitting out bright red blood for a prolonged period of time.

Medications

• Oxymetazoline (Afrin®, Dristan®, Genasal®) may be used – 1 spray each nostril twice daily for the first 3 days following surgery to reduce the amount of bloody nasal discharge and congestion.
• Normal saline (Ocean®, Ayr®) nasal sprays may be used to moisturize and irrigate the nasal passages. Administer 1-2 sprays to each nostril 3 to 4 times daily.
• Vaseline®, Bacitracin® or Polysporin® ointment can help with nasal irritation, crusting, or chafing in the front of the nose. Apply with a Q-tip and apply liberally, but only a half-inch or the depth of the head of the Q-tip. This will moisturize and lubricate the front of the nose and help keep secretions from sticking, causing less irritation or itching; these products are available from your pharmacy.

Nasal Irrigations

Your child may be instructed to begin nasal saline irrigations. This is a very important part of the recovery process. The nasal saline helps to decrease the packing and blood retained in the nasal cavity, making the healing process smoother. The irrigations are performed with a bulb syringe, also used to clear an infant’s nose, and may be purchased at the drug store. The nasal saline may be purchased pre-packaged at the drug store, or a home solution may be prepared using the following: 1 teaspoon salt per quart of distilled water. The patient should irrigate the nose by filling the bulb syringe with the saline, and leaning over the sink with the head forward, gently flush the nasal cavity. Repeat several times. Keep the head forward to keep the fluids from running down the throat.

Other Nasal Care Instructions:

Saline (saltwater) Irrigation

• Ocean Mist® or Ayr® pump spray or a high quality contact lens wetting solution such as Bausch & Lomb® can be used to irrigate the nose.
• Contact lens solution is buffered salt water made gently for the eyes, so it is less irritating to the nose.
• Do not use contact lens cleaning solution.
• Saline solution can be vigorously flushed into each nostril. This can be applied from a squirt bottle, baby bulb aspirator or product bottle. Your child may sneeze or cough. The more vigorously you can flush, the more you will be rewarded by improved nasal breathing. This can be repeated several time a day when there is a lot of mucous discharge and can be especially valuable in early AM and before bedtime applications. It can be applied before and/or after nasal decongestant spray usage.
• Saline should not be used after nasal steroid spray (Flonase®, Rhinocort®, Nasacort®, etc.) application.

Nasal Decongestant Spray

• Afrin® , or generic oxymetazoline 0.05%, can be an effective decongestant in some situations.
• Afrin® will open the nasal passages within a few minutes providing immediate relief of nasal congestion. This can be especially helpful at bedtime to allow nasal breathing, and better quality, more comfortable rest.
• Afrin® is applied as 1-2 squirts to each nostril. Repeat application in 5-10 minutes will further decongest the nose if the first dose is ineffective.
• Saline nasal irrigation after Afrin® application can be very helpful to remove plugged debris and mucous.
• Afrin® and related products should be used infrequently, no more than twice a day for 2-3 days. Afrin® and other decongestant sprays can cause rebound congestion, i.e. addiction to the ingredients making it worse.
• Neosynephrine® is NOT recommended due to potential cardiac/heart rate effects.
• Infant Afrin® is a different medication than “regular strength” Afrin® and is NOT recommended.

Nasal Steroid Sprays (Flonase®, Nasacort AQ®, Rhinocort®, Nasonex®, etc.)

• Nasal Steroids such as these can be a very effective means to reduce nasal congestion.
• They are safe at doses recommended because they are topical/local medications and not absorbed into the body.
• There is less absorption of these preparations of steroids than commonly used asthma steroid inhalers.
• They do not, however, provide immediate relief from congestion like decongestants such as Afrin®.
• If you have been instructed to use nasal steroids, you must take them once a day, every day, to work well. Even with a cold or upper respiratory infection they will be effective. Nasal steroids take from a few days to up to two weeks to be fully effective. You should not start and stop usage, especially after obtaining relief from congestion. I will outline an appropriate trial for usage.
• Nasal steroid sprays are usually once-a-day applications of one or two squirts in each nostril as the patient sniffs in. If the first squirt is effective, the second may not be necessary. The spray should be directed into the nose, with the applicator tip inside the nostril directed at an angle parallel to the floor of the nose, slightly upward, not toward the eye or the ear. The patient should feel the gentle effect of the cool spray deep into the nose. Avoid bumping the walls of the nose with the applicator – minor trauma (bleeding) sometimes will occur.

Nose Blowing

• Even young children can blow their nose with some simple coaxing and rewards. Blowing the nose can be very effective in cleaning secretions/mucous from the nose and minimize the need for other medications.
• A couple of simple instructions may help even a reluctant child learn the fine art of nose blowing. First, try having the child blow a tissue held in front of the face with the mouth – simple in and out – so they can see the tissue flop in the breeze. Then switch to blow air in the mouth and out the nose. The more the tissue moves the greater the reward.

Postoperative Appointment

Your child will be scheduled an appointment 1-3 weeks following surgery. At this appointment, I may clean any remaining packing out of your child’s nose.

Post-Operative Tonsillectomy Surgery Instructions

Tonsillectomy (Removal of the tonsils)

The tonsils are found in the back of the throat on each side of the mouth cavity behind the tongue. They are frequently removed for obstructive breathing or repeated bouts of tonsillitis (infected tonsils).

General Instructions:

Medication

• Throat pain is to be expected after a tonsillectomy. Additionally, it is not uncommon for there to be ear pain.
• I want you to administer children’s Tylenol® – every 4-6 hours around the clock – for the first 10 days after surgery (follow the dosing instructions on the bottle to ensure you do not over-dose your child). If the pain is so intense that it prevents your child from drinking, then administer the narcotic pain medication that was prescribed at surgery instead of the Tylenol®.  Do NOT administer both pain medications simultaneously.
• Taking the medicine one-half hour before eating may help your child to be more comfortable while swallowing. The more your child swallows, the sooner the throat discomfort will disappear.
• DO NOT use ASPIRIN or IBUPROFEN-containing products ( e.g. MOTRIN®, ADVIL®, ALLEVE®, NAPROXEN®) because they WILL CAUSE BLEEDING. Please only use the medications I prescribed – please call the office if you have any questions.

Diet

• Drinking is very important to insure healing.
• Apple or apricot juice and popsicles are suggested. Soft foods like Jello and mashed foods are helpful to maintain adequate nutrition.
• Avoid hot, spicy, rough or scratchy foods such as toast, potato chips, pretzels, crisp bacon or foods of similar consistency. They may irritate the healing throat and cause bleeding.

Rest

• No strenuous physical activity for the first 14 days after surgery (light play is OK, though).
• NO OUT OF TOWN TRAVEL/VACATIONS FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS AFTER SURGERY.

The Operative Site

• When you look into the throat following a tonsillectomy, you will see yellow or white patches where the tonsils were. This is not a sign of infection. This is a temporary, expected, normal process. This scab, or “eschar”, will come off after 5-10 days. Some slight bleeding may occur; however, profuse bleeding is not normal and warrants immediate attention.
• A foul odor is common from the mouth/nose.
• Teeth brushing is allowed and recommended.

Warning Signs

• Fever over 103°
• Bright red bleeding that lasts for a few minutes (blood tinged mucous is usually of no consequence)

Exercises For Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy

Some children may use a nasal voice following surgery in an effort to avoid pain. This is caused by limiting movement of the muscles near the surgical site. These exercises are designed to help your child exercise those muscles in a fun way in order to regain maximum movement following surgery.

These exercises should begin before surgery and continue after surgery. Begin slowly (1 or 2 times each exercise once a day). Increase length of practice as tolerated by your child. Goal should be to practice 8-10 minutes twice a day.

• Blow bubbles
• Blow out candles
• Blow cotton balls across a table
• Blow a scarf off your face
• Say “ahh” and hold it as long as you can
• Say “eee” and hold it as long as you can
• Say “ahee” as many times as you can
• Say “coca-cola” five times
• Say “key, key, key” five times
• Blow up balloons (children 5 years and older)

Post-Operative Adenoidectomy Surgery Instructions

Adenoidectomy (Removal of the adenoids)

The adenoids are located behind the nose and hidden from view by the roof of the mouth. Frequent ear infections, nasal airway obstruction, or obstruction of the eustachian tube (a passage that connects the middle ear to the back of the throat) are some reasons for adenoidectomy.

General Instructions:

Medication

• Mild throat pain is to be expected after an adenoidectomy as well as some nasal congestion.
• You may administer children’s Tylenol® after surgery; please follow the dosing instructions on the bottle to ensure you do not over-dose your child. If the pain is so intense that it prevents your child from drinking, then administer the narcotic pain medication that was prescribed at surgery instead of the Tylenol®. Do NOT administer both pain medications simultaneously.
• Taking the medicine one-half hour before eating may help your child to be more comfortable while swallowing. The more your child swallows, the sooner the throat discomfort will disappear.

Diet

For an adenoidectomy alone, there are no restrictions in your child’s diet. All liquids and soft foods may be eaten as tolerated.

Rest

For an adenoidectomy alone, there are no restrictions in your child’s activity.

The Operative Site

Bad breath for up to two (2) weeks after surgery is common.

Return to School

Your child may return to school when you feel comfortable; generally, this is no more than one to three days after surgery.

Warning Signs

Fever up to 103° is not uncommon; for anything above this, please call the Office.

Exercises For Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy

Some children may use a nasal voice following surgery in an effort to avoid pain. This is caused by limiting movement of the muscles near the surgical site. These exercises are designed to help your child exercise those muscles in a fun way in order to regain maximum movement following surgery.

These exercises should begin before surgery and continue after surgery. Begin slowly (1 or 2 times each exercise once a day). Increase length of practice as tolerated by your child. Goal should be to practice 8-10 minutes twice a day.

• Blow bubbles
• Blow out candles
• Blow cotton balls across a table
• Blow a scarf off your face
• Say “ahh” and hold it as long as you can
• Say “eee” and hold it as long as you can
• Say “ahee” as many times as you can
• Say “coca-cola” five times
• Say “key, key, key” five times
• Blow up balloons (children 5 years and older)

Post-Operative Tympanoplasty & Mastoidectomy Surgery Instructions

Tympanoplasty

Following a tympanoplasty (an operation to correct a damaged middle ear and eardrum), leave the Velcro-strapped ear shield in place for the first day after surgery and then remove it as instructed; a cotton ball will be placed in the outer ear and you may change this cotton ball as needed. DO NOT REMOVE ANY PACKING OR PROBE THE EAR CANAL.

Mastoidectomy

Following a mastoidectomy (an operation which hollows out the mastoid process—removes the bony partitions forming the mastoid cells), leave the Velcro-strapped ear shield in place for the first day after surgery and then remove it as instructed; a cotton ball will be placed in the outer ear and you may change this cotton ball as needed. DO NOT REMOVE ANY PACKING OR PROBE THE EAR CANAL. After the Velcro-strapped ear shield has been removed, your child may find it more comforting to use it for sleeping and/or school to protect from trauma.

IMPORTANT Information Regarding Ear Drops
Patients having ear surgery need to take the prescription for Ciprodex® to the pharmacy at least 5-7 days prior to surgery to ensure that any prior Insurance authorization is obtained in a timely manner. Failure to do so may result in your child nothaving the prescribed medication available to be administered after your child’s surgery.

General Instructions:

Wound Care

The incision behind the ear is held together by absorbable sutures which are reinforced by a clear plastic adhesive (e.g. DermaBond®); do NOT remove the clear plastic adhesive before two weeks after surgery. If the incision develops signs of infection, such as redness, drainage, and/or swelling, please call my office immediately.

Use the ear drops as prescribed; typically, this will be Ciprodex® 3-5 drops into the operated ear canal twice a day until instructed to stop.

Precautions

• Do NOT get the ear or area near the incision wet. No swimming. Absolutely no diving for 3 to 4 months following surgery.
• No nose-blowing. Additionally, if your child needs to sneeze, have them do it with their mouth open. Unfortunately, either of these events could result in the graft to the eardrum to fail, resulting in a hole in the eardrum after surgery.
• Avoid strenuous activity – including school physical education.
• No airplane travel

Post Operative Appointment

The post-operative appointment will be scheduled for 6 weeks after the surgery.

Post-Operative Ear Tubes Surgery Instructions

A myringotomy is an incision made in the eardrum in an effort to remove fluid or infection from the middle ear; usually a small plastic tube is inserted through this opening (“myringotomy with tubes”). The tubes do not impair hearing nor can they be felt by the patient. The tubes usually remain in place for six to 18 months and fall out on their own.

IMPORTANT Information Regarding Ear Drops
Patients having ear surgery need to take the prescription for Ciprodex® to the pharmacy at least 5-7 days prior to surgery to ensure that any prior Insurance authorization is obtained in a timely manner. Failure to do so may result in your child nothaving the prescribed medication available to be administered after your child’s surgery.

What to Expect:

Day of The Procedure (after surgery)

1. Liquid or soft foods may be taken once your child has fully awakened from anesthesia.
2. Pain in the ear may be present and is readily relieved by Tylenol®.
3. Cotton may have been inserted in the ear canal at the time of surgery to absorb drainage. This drainage may be blood-tinged and may last for 2-3 days. The cotton should be changed as often as necessary while the drainage is present.
4. Antibiotic ear drops were used at the time of surgery and you should have received a prescription to go home with; follow the directions as indicated. Additionally, keep the prescription for possible future use.

Day After The Procedure

1. Activity should return to normal and your child may return to daycare or school.
2. General Instructions/Information:
   • Try and keep water from entering the ear since this may cause an infection. This can be accomplished with the use of a Vaseline-impregnated cotton-ball or wax/silicone ear plugs purchased at your local drugstore. If your child develops an infection – which would be manifest as drainage from the ear – I will ask you to use the ear drops previously prescribed at surgery.
   • Ear drainage may also occur in association with an upper respiratory infection (“cold”); this will also be treated just with antibiotic ear drops. Oral antibiotics are rarely necessary.
   • The tubes may be visible in the ear canal. They cannot be reached with a child’s probing finger, but can be reached with a Q-tip. DO NOT INSERT ANY OBJECTS INTO THE EAR CANAL except earplugs as required.
   • Hearing may be substantially improved after the procedure. Certain sounds and noises may by louder to your child. There may be a period of time when your child adjusts to the new hearing.

Ventilation Tube Care

• Assume the tubes are in your child’s eardrum, in the appropriate position, unless you have been advised otherwise by a physician.
• Tubes create a temporary hole in the eardrum and allow medications or water to enter the middle ear space. No drops or ear solutions are required if you do not see active drainage such as pus or mucous from the ear canal.
• Ear tubes are self-maintaining.
• Do not place any solutions or medications in the ear without calling my office.

Ear Drop Application

With your child’s head held over in your lap or arms, drop the solution down the ear canal. They should disappear down the hole. Use your finger to gently massage the front of the ear (tragus) to “pump” the drops down the ear canal. Place a piece of a cotton ball in the ear to help prevent the drops from dripping out of the ear.

Water Precautions

As previously indicated, if your child has tubes in the eardrum, you should try and prevent water from entering the ear. Several types of plugs are available – none are completely waterproof. Once the tubes are out of your child’s ears and the eardrum has healed (no perforation), plugs are not necessary. In fact, plugs may be harmful by causing irritation and packing wax or debris down into the ear canal.

Post Operative Appointment

A post-operative appointment will be scheduled for 6 weeks after the surgery. At this visit, the position of the tubes will be determined and your child’s hearing may be evaluated.