According to an investigation published in Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, researchers have discovered that ear discharge and drainage (otorrhea) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after ear tube placement in children is not linked to an increased risk of needing further surgery or other complications, in comparison to a diagnosis of non-MRSA otorrhea.

The researchers report:

“More than half a million procedures are performed annually to place tympanostomy tubes in children, making this the most common surgical procedure performed in childhood.”

One of the most common complications of this surgery is otorrhea.

In order to find out how common otorrhea in kids is after this procedure, and to figure out the outcomes and risk factors for treatment for MRSA in comparison with non-MRSA infections, Nathan S. Alexander, M.D., from the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Birmingham, and team examined medical records and classified each of the 1,079 patients into groups; those with non-MRSA otorrhea (n=141), and those whose otorrhea was due to MRSA (n=135). The team then examined medical records to gather information on surgical procedures performed, hearing analysis, medical treatments, as well as other infection-related illnesses.

The researchers explain:

“The overall incidence of MRSA in this series was about 16 percent (170 of 1,079 patients). The groups [MRSA vs. non-MRSA otorrhea patients] did not differ significantly in type of insurance; history of tympanostomy tube placement, cholesteatoma [skin cyst in middle ear], or prematurity; number or type (minor/major) of surgical procedures performed; or risk of subsequent infection-related diagnoses. More patients in the MRSA group received intravenous antibiotic therapy (11 percent vs. 3.6 percent).”

In addition, the team discovered that those in the MRSA group had a mild hearing loss (14.5%) compared to those in the non-MRSA group (6.2%).

They conclude:

“In conclusion, MRSA otorrhea as a complication of tympanostomy tube placement has become more prevalent since the late 1990s. Children with MRSA otorrhea were more likely to receive intravenous and oral antibiotics, but they were not more likely to need additional surgical procedures to control otorrhea or to be hospitalized for infection-related diagnoses or to suffer complications or otitis media (ear infections). These findings should facilitate appropriate care for MRSA otorrhea after tympanostomy tube placement and help to decrease parental anxiety regarding a diagnosis of MRSA otorrhea vs. non-MRSA otorrhea.”

Written by Grace Rattue