Effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on paediatric bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion rates in New Brunswick, Canada

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on paediatric bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion rates in New Brunswick, Canada. METHODS: All paediatric bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion cases from 1 July 2015 through 30 June 2021 were provided by New Brunswick Medicare. The numbers of otolaryngologists, cataract surgical procedures, total hip arthroplasties and thyroidectomies were collected to assess the availability of operating theatres and otolaryngologists. Negative binomial logarithmic regressions were used for analyses. RESULTS: Of the 5175 paediatric bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion cases that were included, the bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion rate significantly decreased by 2.9 times (p < 0.001) during the pandemic. Thyroidectomies, cataract surgical procedures and total hip arthroplasties did not significantly decrease. The number of otolaryngologists increased (20 vs 16–17). CONCLUSION: Paediatric bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion rates significantly decreased during the pandemic. This cannot be accounted for by reduced otolaryngologists or operating theatre availability. The paediatric bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion rate decrease is likely due to public health measures reducing the transmission of upper respiratory tract infections, resulting in fewer indications for paediatric bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion.