Decisional regret following ventilation tube insertion.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to see if parental regret following ventilation tube (VT) insertion was related to non-resolution of ear infections and thus ongoing need for otolaryngological care and VT reinsertion.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

All consecutive parents presenting with children who had VT in place were given a validated regret survey and asked the reason for their visit. Chart review was used for medical history.

RESULTS

Two hundred and ten respondents were included. The children involved had a mean age of 5.2 years, 63.3% were male, and mean number of years since first VT insertion was 1.12 with a range of 0.04-9.28 years. 70.5% had a regret score of 0, with mean score 6.98 (95%CI 5.11-8.85). Scores were significantly higher for parents who presented their child with an ear complaint such as otorrhea (15.52, 95%CI 7.67-23.37, p = 0.004). Parents whose children had a history of reflux had significantly lower regret scores than parents whose children did not have a history of reflux (3.33 versus 7.89, p = 0.007). Parental regret was unrelated to patient age, other comorbidities, indication for initial tube insertion, hearing status on the day of inquiry, number of sets of tubes, visits for otorrhea, prescriptions given for eardrops, clinic visits, or length of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Transient factors may influence decisional regret at any given time. For parents whose children receive VT, regret is not related to prolonged specialized ear care and need for VT reinsertion.