title: Prevalence of chronic otitis media with effusion in a pediatric tracheotomy population: a retrospective review.
abstract: The prevalence of chronic otitis media with effusion (COME) was investigated in a 4-year retrospective study of a pediatric tracheotomy population followed in the outpatient Tracheotomy-Ventilation Clinic of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. After exclusions, 83 patients comprised the study population. In a given patient, COME was defined by the presence of middle ear effusion in more than 50% of ear evaluations during the 4-year study period, or tympanostomy tube placement. The prevalence of COME was 60% in the study population as a whole. Special population groups had prevalence as follows: 90% in craniofacial anomaly patients, 79% in chronically ventilated patients, and 48% in nonventilated patients. Chronically ventilated patients had a statistically significant higher prevalence of COME than the nonventilated group (P < 0.025). These data indicate that COME is a prevalent condition in the pediatric tracheotomy population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Human Communication, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA. dbeste@mcw.edu
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Beste
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Conley
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Milbrath
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019465:Craniofacial Abnormalities / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014140:Tracheotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*