Number of procedures with ventilation tubes in the eardrum per 1,000 children, 0–16 years
Approximately 5,000 procedures involving the insertion of ventilation tubes in the eardrum are performed annually on children aged 0-16 years. The number of procedures decreased from 2015 to 2019, and there was a significant drop during the pandemic. In 2023, the number of procedures returned to the 2019 level.
There is significant geographical variation in the number of procedures. The catchment area for Nord-Trøndelag HF consistently has the highest rate throughout the period, while the catchment areas in Oslo (OUS, Lovisenberg, and Diakonhjemmet HF) consistently have low rates. The procedure is performed more than three times as frequently on children in the catchment area for Nord-Trøndelag HF compared to the Oslo area in all years of the period. This suggests that there is a lack of consensus among medical experts regarding the appropriate indications for using ventilation tubes. The medical need is assumed to be approximately the same regardless of where in Norway one lives, and the variation therefore is considered as unwarranted.
The procedure is performed more frequently on boys than girls, with 60 % of the procedures performed on boys. The average age at the time of the procedure was five years, and the procedure is most commonly performed on three-year-olds.
Children are mainly treated in their own HF, but there are significant differences between catchment areas. In 2023, 75 % of the procedures were performed in their own HF, 8 % in another HF, and 16 % were performed privately for the country as a whole. In the catchment areas for St. Olav and Diakonhjemmet HF, more than half of the procedures in 2023 were performed privately.
The analysis is based on data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for specialist healthcare services. The data includes activity in public hospitals, publicly funded private hospitals, and specialists in private practice under public funding contacts.
The sample consists of all contacts (admissions, outpatient consultations, and day treatments) involving the insertion of ear tubes for children in somatic specialist health services, including private contract specialists. The insertion of ear tubes is defined by the procedure code (NCSP) DCA20 for DRG-financed hospitals, and the tariffs K02c, K02d, K02e, or K02g for private contract specialists. The tariff 317b (Paracentesis with ventilation tube) for contract specialists is not included as this procedure is mainly performed on adults.
The place of treatment is divided into three categories:
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the population in 2023 as the reference population.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.
All of the data used in the charts for this analysis can be downloaded as a CSV file.
