SWIMMING AND GROMMETS - A PROSPECTIVE SURVEY

Aim. To assess the incidence of otorrhoea after swimming in patients w ith grommets in situ, and discover whether protecting the ears from wa ter affects this occurrence. Methods. A group of children with bilater al patent grommets were allowed to swim with head under the water with one ear protected, and the other unprotected from water entry. Using a calendar system, each swim was recorded and each episode of otalgia or otorrhoea occasioning medical consultation was recorded with the ou tcome of the consultation. Results. Nineteen children completed the su rvey taking a total of 551 swims with head immersion. One child suffer ed bilateral otorrhoea one day after a swim. There were three episodes of otalgia sufficiently severe to warrant medical consultation. Two o ccurred in a protected ear and one in an unprotected ear. On each occa sion there was no evidence of infection. Conclusions. There appears to be a low incidence of otorrhoea during summer in children who swim wi th grommets in situ. There is no evidence that protecting the ears fro m water entry confers any benefit as far as preventing infection in co ncerned.