Use of ambulatory anesthesia with manually assisted ventilation for tympanic membrane regeneration therapy in children

PurposeTo present the utility of ambulatory anesthesia using manually assisted ventilation via a facemask for tympanic membrane (TM) regeneration therapy in children.Material and methodsThe study included 10 children (age 4–11 years) in whom the duration of perforation before treatment exceeded 6 months and who were followed for at least 1 year after treatment between December 2009 and December 2012. Under ambulatory anesthesia using manually assisted ventilation via a facemask, TM regenerative therapy with atelocollagen combined with basic fibroblast growth factor was performed in children who could not tolerate the procedure under local anesthesia alone.ResultsAll of the children completed the TM regenerative therapy under ambulatory anesthesia in less than 5 min. Complete closure was achieved in nine (81.8%) ears after 1 year of postoperative follow-up.ConclusionTM regenerative therapy can be performed under local anesthesia in less than 5 min without a skin incision. However, local anesthesia is often insufficient in small children undergoing this procedure. Therefore, ambulatory anesthesia using manually assisted ventilation via a facemask is appropriate to complete this procedure safely in small children.