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Groundbreaking Research Update from Distinguished SUNY Downstate Professor Published in Prestigious Medical Journal

By Office of Communications & Marketing | Feb 16, 2022

Dr. Richard M. Rosenfeld Published as Lead Author on Clinical Practice Guideline on Ear Tubes in Children by The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation

Brooklyn, NY – SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University announced that Distinguished Professor, program director, and Chairman of Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, and Throat), Dr. Richard M. Rosenfeld, has been published as the lead author on a new Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) on Ear Tubes in Children, the most common cause of ambulatory surgery performed on children in the United States. This research update has been published in The Official Journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. 

Tympanostomy tubes—more commonly referred to as ear tubes—are effective in reducing or eliminating middle ear infections and persistent middle ear fluid – and the hearing loss that can happen as a result. In addition, Dr. Rosenfeld’s research informed the Clinical Practice Guideline Update, which reassesses and updates recommendations in the prior guidelines providing clinicians with evidence-based guidance on patient selection and surgical indications for managing tympanostomy tubes in children.

“At Downstate, research is the foundation for advancing our medical and healthcare practice,” said Downstate president Wayne J. Riley, M.D. “Dr. Rosenfeld’s research will continue to advance the future of Otolaryngology and benefit the patients that Downstate serves. Guidelines are essential for any surgery, and children are among our most vulnerable patients, so getting it right is critical.”

This Update’s revisions and additions compared to the original 2013 Clinical Practice Guideline, which offered the first trustworthy recommendations on tympanostomy tube indications, include extensive patient education materials and opportunities for shared decision-making. In addition, these expanded action statement profiles now include quality improvement and implementation considerations, a flowchart that ties together all action statements in a cohesive management plan, a plain language version specifically for consumers and patients, and a dedicated webpage with downloadable patient education materials.

The original guideline (2013) now has more than 500 citations and showed that subsequent research offered excellent adherence by clinicians to recommendations for tube insertion and for watchful waiting to reduce unnecessary surgery. The guideline remains the only publication explicitly focused on tympanostomy tube indications and managing children who receive tubes.

“As the most common ambulatory surgery performed on children in the United States, insertion of tympanostomy tubes must be informed by trustworthy recommendations based on the best and most current research available, like the updated CPG from AAO-HNSF,” said David Christini, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Research. “What is most exciting about the CPG is how it fits comprehensively with other supporting materials. Tympanostomy tubes can offer children and families extraordinary benefits, which are best achieved by following the superb multidisciplinary guidance in this new Update.”

The updated guideline is intended for any clinician involved in managing children aged six months to 12 years with tympanostomy tubes or children being considered for tympanostomy tubes in any care setting as an intervention for middle ear inflammation. The target audience for this CPG update includes specialists, primary care clinicians, and allied health professionals, as represented by the multidisciplinary GUG, which comprised the disciplines of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, otology, pediatrics, audiology, anesthesiology, family medicine, advanced practice nursing, speech-language pathology, and consumer advocacy.

For more information on the guideline update and other supplemental materials, visit www.entnet.org/CPGtymp-tubes-update.

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Contact: Dawn S. Walker
917.439.9666 | 347.533.2071
dawn.walker@downstate.edu

About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is the borough's only academic medical center for health education, research, and patient care. It is a 342-bed facility serving the healthcare needs of New York City and Brooklyn's 2.6 million residents. University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) is Downstate's teaching hospital, backed by an outstanding medical school's expertise and world-class academic center research facilities. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties—many of them ranked as tops in their fields—comprise Downstate's staff.

In addition to high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis (kidney diseases)—and offering the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn, among many other distinctive programs—Downstate also sponsors a major learning center for young children with developmental disorders and disabilities. In addition to UHB, Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative, including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu or follow us on Twitter at @sunydownstate.