Topical Ciprofloxacin/Dexamethasone is Superior to Ciprofloxacin Alone in Pediatric Patients with Acute Otitis Media and Otorrhea through Tympanostomy Tubes

Abstract

Abstract Objective To determine whether topical administration of a corticosteroid improves resolution of acute tympanostomy tube otorrhea when combined with topical antibiotic drops. Study Design Randomized, patient‐masked, parallel‐group, multicenter trial of topical otic ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone versus topical ciprofloxacin alone in 201 children aged 6 months to 12 years with acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes (AOMT) of less than or equal to 3 weeks' duration and visible otorrhea. Methods Eligible patients were randomized to receive three drops of either ciprofloxacin 0.3%/dexamethasone 0.1% or ciprofloxacin 0.3% into the affected ear or ears twice daily for 7 days. Clinical signs and symptoms of AOMT were evaluated on days 1 (baseline), 3, 8 (end‐of‐therapy), and 14 (test‐of‐cure), and twice‐daily assessments of otorrhea were recorded in patient diaries. Results The mean time to cessation of otorrhea in the microbiologically culture‐positive patient population ( n = 167) was significantly shorter with topical ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone than with ciprofloxacin alone (4.22 vs. 5.31 days; P = .004). This resulted in significantly better clinical responses on days 3 and 8 ( P < .0001 and P = .0499, respectively). However, there were no significant differences between the two treatment groups in either the clinical response or the microbial eradication rate by day 14. Conclusions Topical otic treatment with ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone is superior to treatment with ciprofloxacin alone and results in a faster clinical resolution in children with AOMT. The contribution of the corticosteroid in achieving a 20% reduction (1.1 day) in time to cessation of otorrhea is clinically meaningful and represents an important advance over single‐agent antibiotic therapy.