Grommets, swimming and otorrhoea — a review

Abstract

Ever since Armstrong reintroduced the concept co grommeet insertion parents have been asking ‘may my child swim?’, yet there is still no consensus as to the correct answer. This paper reviews the work that has been done on this subject in the last 25 years. A review of teh reates of otorrhoea following grommet insertion, irrespective of swimming, shows a variation from 12 to 64 per cent. Evidence suggests that pressures of 12–23 cm H2O are needed to push water through a grommeet and that it is unlikely that water will enter the middle ear during surface swimming. Only bath water seems to cause significant inflammtory changes to middle ear mucosa. Not a single paper comparing swimming without ear protection can be safely permitted for children with grommets.