Nose balloon could be used to treat glue ear

ConclusionThis RCT aimed to assess the use of autoinflation as a treatment for glue ear. More than 300 children were included in the study and were randomly assigned to receive autoinflation, in addition to usual care for up to three months, or usual care alone. The use of autoinflation does appear to show some promise at one and three months, and the side effects were generally mild. However, this will only provide a solution for children who are able to perform the technique and do this regularly. This means it may not be a suitable treatment for everyone.This study's main strength is that it included a representative sample of the UK population. The researchers conducted a power calculation to ensure they had enrolled a sufficient number of participants to increase the certainty of their findings. Group assignment was also random, which reduces the risk of bias, and the analysis was by assigned group, with fairly low drop-out (8% at one month and 12% at three months). Participants were not blinded to the treatment they were receiving, but this is not really possible with this type of intervention. However, the investigators assessing the outcome of the treatment were blinded, which is a strength. However, the study only assessed school-age children, who were more likely to be able to perform autoinflation, and does not address very young children with glue ear. This study also cannot inform us how autoinflation may compare with other treatments, such as the use of hearing ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Medical practice Source Type: news