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More on Ear Tubes
From
Science News, 2/08/03
<>“General anesthetic drugs that physicians commonly administer to children
undergoing surgery, when given to baby rats, trigger brain cells to commit a cellular form of suicide that leads to
memory and learning deficits, neuroscientists have found. So far, there no evidence of similar effects in children who
have received anesthesia,”<> researchers say...
<>Whether anesthesia effects on young rats are relevant to
people isn't known. Until it is, the results suggest “if surgery does not have to be performed early in life, it would be
prudent to postpone it,” <>says study coauthor John W. Olney, a neuropharmacologist at Washington University in St.
Louis.
For those facing the prospect of tubes being put in your kid ears see this web site discussion
under “Surgery for Ear Tubes.” A commentary in Discover magazine (July '98, p106) written by a brain surgeon raises
the issue of unknown long term consequences for many such operations, and few incentives not to operate. He
says:
“Although the FDA also regulates surgical devices like heart valves and pacemakers, it has no
jurisdiction over surgical procedures. Unlike pharmaceutical companies, surgeons have no legal obligation to prove
operations at the Phase III (highest FDA) level before marketing them. Moreover, since they can bill for any surgery,
proven or unproven, surgeons have scant incentive to subject one of their “cash cow” operations to randomized
testing.”
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As far as we know there
has been no study of the long term effects of putting tubes in kids ears, and not likely to be. The immediate results are
often a great relief - no more pain, no more sleepless nights, improved hearing, and as long as insurance pays the stiff
medical bill everything is fine - maybe. But we don't know.
As this web site suggests - do
everything that you can to avoid ear surgery, using it only as a last resort, not a quick fix. See the other pages on Prevention
and Waiting for
more things that you can do to head off ear infections.
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