Discharge Instructions for Tympanoplasty (Child)

Your child had a procedure called tympanoplasty to repair a damaged eardrum. Here's what you need to know about home care following this procedure.

What to expect

• A small amount of drainage from the ear

• Numbness of the outer part of the ear (this will return to normal)

• Pain in the jaw (this will return to normal)

• Change in or loss of taste (this will return to normal)

Ear care

• Don't let your child lie flat for the first 24 hours.

• Discourage your child from blowing their nose. Don’t allow your child to hold their nose closed.

• Show your child how to sneeze with the mouth open.

• Allow your child to shower as needed, unless stated otherwise by the healthcare provider. A tub bath is allowed as long as your child doesn’t put their head in the water.

• Keep the ear dry. You can place a cotton ball dabbed with a small amount of petroleum jelly in the outer ear to keep water out during a bath or shower.

• Give your child medicine exactly as directed.

Activity

• Make sure your child avoids activities that involve heavy lifting and straining.

• Get your child's healthcare provider's permission before letting your child fly in a plane or before swimming.

Follow-up care

• Make follow-up appointments as directed by your child's healthcare provider.

• Ask your child's healthcare provider when your child may return to school.

When to call your child's healthcare provider

Call your child's surgeon right away if your child has any of the following:

• Increased redness or swelling around the ear

• Dizziness

• Drainage from the ear with an odor or increased drainage

• Ongoing headache

• Seeing double or blurry vision

• Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or as directed by your child's surgeon

• Weak muscles of the face

• Unusual eye movements

• Ringing in the ears