Grommets: Patient Surgical Information Pack

Please note that the following is a general guideline only. For a full assessment, exclusion of any other underlying cause for your symptoms and an individualised treatment approach, you will need to be seen by a qualified specialist.

1 General Pre Operative Instructions

Prior to any surgery it is important that necessary precautions are taken to minimise the risk of operative bleeding as well as general anaesthesia. Following are some important pre operative instructions.

1. If you or any blood relatives have tendency to bleed or bruise excessively, please notify the surgeon.
2. Disclose all medical illness to the surgeon and the anaesthetist.  By   doing so the doctors are able to determine your anaesthetic risk, and do appropriate pre operative investigations and optimise your  medical treatment.  If there is a need your surgeon may get other appropriate specialists involved for the pre operative work up.
3. If you are a smoker, you must stop smoking for up to two weeks prior to surgery.
4. If you take blood-thinning medications such as Warfarin, Aspirin or Newer anti platelet medications, these need to be disclosed to the    surgeon. The surgeon will ask you stop these for 10 days if it is safe to do so, after consultation with your physician. He may cancel surgery if the risk of stopping such medications is too high.
5. There is potential of certain dietary supplements, including garlic, Ginkgo biloba, ginger, ginseng, glucosamine fish oil, and vitamin E, to interfere with hemostasis. These and any other supplements should also be stopped well in advance. 

Please read the College of Surgeon’s information handout given to you. If you have any concerns or wish to speak to your surgeon please contact the reception.

2 Grommets: Post Operative Instructions

Note: You must have a current hearing test. This must have been given to the surgeon/ brought on the day of surgery to show the surgeon.

KEEPING DRY

Ensure that dirty water do not enter the ears after grommet insertion. You may use a ball of blue tac or ear putty with a head band on top (do not push blue tac in to the ear canal), or custom made silicone ear plugs made by your audiologist. 

EAR DROPS

Use ciloxin drops; 4 drops three times per day for three to four days These are the only medicated drops confirmed to be safe in the ears after grommets insertion.

DISCHARGE

if there is any discharge notify your surgeon. You will require topical drops as the first line of treatment.

FOLLOWUP

Surgeon will see you six weeks after surgery-with a post operative hearing test. Thereafter you should see your Doctor twice a year. 

If Concerns
Contact surgeon, the hospital and if an emergency go to closest ED

3  Consent For Your Surgery

Informed consent is a process of finding out information about the recommended treatment, alternative options and weighing up the benefits and risks involved. It is not about just signing a form. This involves

• The diagnosis and likely outcome (prognosis) of your condition
• An explanation of the recommended treatment
• The risks of the procedure and common side effects
• Possible complications
• Specific details of the treatment; for example, where it will be performed and who will perform it
• Any other options for treatment and their probability of success.

It is not possible, however, to provide complete information or predict outcomes or assess risks with certainty; and patients need to be aware of this uncertainty.

You would also be provided with a official handout about surgery, which you will be requited to read and understand. If you have any specific matters which you like to further discuss you are requested to contact the surgeon and make another appointment prior to surgery. You have the right to cancel surgery if you wish to do so.

Summary of the risks and complications of grommets which your surgeon has discussed with you include the following

  1) Pain

1. Infection-discharge from the ear
2. Bleeding-from the ear/ blockage
3. Early extrusion
4. Not extruding
5. Hole or a Perforation
6. Scarring
7. Need for more surgery
8. Displacement, rarely falling in
9. Any ear surgery carries a very small risk of damage to hearing

Date