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In-Office Tympanostomy Tube Placement in Children (OTTER)

A Prospective, Single-arm, Multicenter Study to Evaluate Effectiveness and Safety of Tympanostomy Tube Placement Using the Tula Iontophoresis and Tube Delivery Systems for Children in an Office Setting.

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03323736
Acronym
OTTER
Enrollment
370
Registered
2017-10-27
Start date
2017-10-31
Completion date
2021-03-25
Last updated
2022-05-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

AOM - Acute Otitis Media, OME - Otitis Media With Effusion

Brief summary

A prospective, single-arm, multicenter study to evaluate effectiveness and safety of Tymbion iontophoresis and tympanostomy tube placement using the Tula Iontophoresis and Tube Delivery Systems for children in an office setting.

Detailed description

The objective of this study is to evaluate effectiveness and safety of tympanostomy tube (TT) placement in children following local anesthesia in a physician's clinic setting (henceforth referred to as 'in-office'). Local anesthesia using Tymbion, a lidocaine-based anesthetic, is delivered by the Tula Iontophoresis System (IPS) and TT placement is implemented by the Tula Tube Delivery System (TDS). The IPS will be used to facilitate anesthetic delivery to the tympanic membrane (TM). The Iontophoresis System consists of an Iontophoresis Control Unit, Iontophoresis Earsets and a return electrode patch. The Control Unit monitors and delivers a fixed amount of charge (ie, dose) to the patient through the Earsets(s) and alerts the operator when charge delivery is complete. The lidocaine-based solution used for local anesthesia of the TM is Tymbion (2% lidocaine HCl/ 1:100,000 epinephrine). The TDS is a mechanical device that integrates a myringotomy blade, tympanostomy tube and tube inserter for TT placement with a user-controlled activation. The study will use the TDS with a grommet-type tube. This pivotal study will include up to 422 children ages 6 months through 12 years indicated for tympanostomy tube placement enrolled at approximately 15 to 25 investigational centers in the US and Canada. The pivotal cohort consists of 222 subjects. In addition, up to 100 subjects will be enrolled as lead-in procedures in the OR using the TDS and up to 100 subjects will be enrolled as lead-in procedure in-office (using IPS and TDS) as the surgeons' initial experience with the technology prior to enrolling into the pivotal cohort. All pivotal and lead-in subjects will follow the same study protocol assessments and visit schedule consisting of a screening visit, procedure visit and 3-week, 6 month, 12 month, 18 month, and 24 month post-procedure follow-up visits. Lead-in procedures will be analyzed separately from the pivotal pediatric cohort.

Interventions

COMBINATION_PRODUCTIontophoresis & tube placement

Subjects will receive active Tymbion iontophoresis and will have tubes placed in-office using the Tube Delivery System in all ears indicated for tube placement.

Subjects will have tubes placed in the OR using the Tube Delivery System in all ears indicated for tube placement.

Sponsors

Tusker Medical
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Pivotal cohort is single arm. Physician initial subjects evaluated in separate cohorts but not included in primary and secondary analyses.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Months to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Males or females at least 6 months old through 12 years old at time of consent 2. Indication for tympanostomy tube insertion per Clinical Practice Guideline 3. Behavioral capacity and cooperative temperament to undergo an awake procedure, based on physician judgment (not applicable to OR Lead-In subjects) 4. Subject's parent/guardian and subject are able and willing to comply with the protocol and attend all study visits 5. Subject's parent/guardian and subject are able and willing to provide informed consent or assent as age appropriate

Exclusion criteria

1. Significantly atrophic, retracted, bimeric, monomeric or atelectatic tympanic membrane 2. Perforated tympanic membrane 3. Otitis externa 4. Active or recent conditions of the tympanic membrane (eg, prior myringotomy with incomplete wound healing or re-epithelization) 5. Hemotympanum 6. Damaged/denuded skin in the auditory canal 7. Cerumen impaction resulting in a significant amount of cleaning required to visualize the tympanic membrane potentially causing abrasion or irritation to the external ear canal 8. Anatomy that precludes sufficient visualization of and access to the tympanic membrane 9. Anatomy that necessitates tympanostomy tube placement in the posterior half of the tympanic membrane 10. History of sensitivity or allergic reaction to lidocaine HCl, tetracaine, epinephrine, or any hypersensitivity to local anesthetics of the amide type, or any component of the anesthetic drug formulation (not applicable to OR Lead-In subjects) 11. Familial history of insensitivity to lidocaine or other local anesthetics of the amide type (eg, history of inadequate anesthesia with dental numbing agents). (not applicable to OR Lead-In subjects) 12. Electrically sensitive medical support systems (eg, pacemakers, defibrillators, cochlear implants) 13. Other conditions that would preclude performing the study procedure including iontophoresis system ear plug incompatibility. 14. Health conditions that, in the opinion of the investigator, would present undue risk to the subject, based on device/anesthetic drug product label warnings and precautions. 15. Subject is 4 years or older and not able to complete all baseline assessments. Subject is younger than 4 years and not able to complete all baseline assessments, not including audiometry.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Procedural Success:Day of Procedure (Day 0) Immediately following tube placementCount (and percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort with successful placement of Tusker Medical tympanostomy tubes in all indicated ears in an office procedure. Note: the primary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts.
Tube Placement TolerabilityDay of Procedure (Day 0) Immediately following tube placementMean subject-reported pain score following TDS tube placement using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) (pivotal cohort children ages 5 and older only). The FPS-R has 6 faces which permits scaling to a 0-to-10 scoring system in intervals of 2 (ie 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10), where 0 represents 'no pain' and 10 represents 'very much pain'. Note- the primary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Tube Patency3 Weeks Post ProcedureCount (and percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort, in which a Tusker Medical tube was successfully placed, with functionally patent tube(s) at the 3-week post-procedure follow-up visit. Note- thus secondary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts. Note - This endpoint includes subjects for which at least 1 ear had successful tube placement. For bilateral subjects, they may be considered a non-successful procedure if only 1 ear had successful tube placement, however would be evaluated for the Tube Patency endpoint for the ear that was successful.
Tube Retention3 Weeks Post ProcedureCount (percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort, in which a Tusker Medical tube(s) was successfully placed, with presence of a Tusker Medical tube across the TM in all successfully treated ears at the 3-week post-procedure follow-up visit. Note- the secondary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts. Note - This endpoint includes subjects for which at least 1 ear had successful tube placement. For bilateral subjects, they may be considered a non-successful procedure if only 1 ear had successful tube placement, however would be evaluated for the Tube Retention endpoint for the ear that was successful.
Anesthesia EffectivenessDay of Procedure (Day 0)Count (percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort, who completed iontophoresis for all indicated ears, with adequate anesthesia for TT placement in all treated ears as determined by physician's evaluation of TM anesthesia prior to tube placement. Note- the secondary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts.

Countries

Canada, United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Pivotal Cohort
Active Tymbion iontophoresis and tube insertion using the Tube Delivery System in-office. Iontophoresis & tube placement: Subjects will receive active Tymbion iontophoresis and will have tubes placed in-office using the Tube Delivery System in all ears indicated for tube placement.
222
Office Lead-In Cohort
Active Tymbion iontophoresis and tube insertion using the Tube Delivery System in-office. Physician initial in-office iontophoresis and tube insertion procedures (minimum of 2 subjects per investigator). Iontophoresis & tube placement: Subjects will receive active Tymbion iontophoresis and will have tubes placed in-office using the Tube Delivery System in all ears indicated for tube placement.
47
OR Lead-In Cohort
Tubes insertion using the Tube Delivery System in the operating room (OR). Physician initial tube insertion procedures in the OR (minimum of 2 subjects per investigator). Tube placement: Subjects will have tubes placed in the OR using the Tube Delivery System in all ears indicated for tube placement.
68
Total337

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001FG002
Overall StudyIontophoresis fill/no iontophoresis220
Overall StudyScreen Failure1491
Overall StudyWithdrawal Before Treatment311

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPivotal CohortTotalOR Lead-In CohortOffice Lead-In Cohort
Age, Continuous4.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.18
4.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.09
3.4 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.55
4.8 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.1
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
31 Participants51 Participants14 Participants6 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
191 Participants285 Participants54 Participants40 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
4 Participants7 Participants3 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
24 Participants36 Participants6 Participants6 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
4 Participants5 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
7 Participants18 Participants6 Participants5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
183 Participants271 Participants53 Participants35 Participants
Region of Enrollment
Canada
3 participants11 participants4 participants4 participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
219 participants326 participants64 participants43 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
93 Participants141 Participants28 Participants20 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
129 Participants196 Participants40 Participants27 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
EG002
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 680 / 470 / 222
other
Total, other adverse events
28 / 6822 / 4779 / 222
serious
Total, serious adverse events
4 / 680 / 473 / 222

Outcome results

Primary

Procedural Success:

Count (and percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort with successful placement of Tusker Medical tympanostomy tubes in all indicated ears in an office procedure. Note: the primary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts.

Time frame: Day of Procedure (Day 0) Immediately following tube placement

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Pivotal Cohort (6 Month to <5 Year Old Children)Procedural Success:103 Participants
Pivotal Cohort (5 Through 12 Year Old Children)Procedural Success:91 Participants
Comparison: Procedural success rate was compared to the performance goal of 68% using a Bayesian Hierarchical model.95% CI: [0.8, 0.91]
Comparison: Procedural success rate was compared to the performance goal of 68% using a Bayesian Hierarchical model.95% CI: [0.82, 0.93]
Primary

Tube Placement Tolerability

Mean subject-reported pain score following TDS tube placement using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) (pivotal cohort children ages 5 and older only). The FPS-R has 6 faces which permits scaling to a 0-to-10 scoring system in intervals of 2 (ie 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10), where 0 represents 'no pain' and 10 represents 'very much pain'. Note- the primary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts.

Time frame: Day of Procedure (Day 0) Immediately following tube placement

Population: Subjects with successful tube placement only. Note - 2 subjects were excluded from analysis because they did not self-report their pain scores, resulting in 89 participants analyzed.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Pivotal Cohort (6 Month to <5 Year Old Children)Tube Placement Tolerability3.30 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.39
p-value: 0.0072t-test, 1 sided
Secondary

Anesthesia Effectiveness

Count (percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort, who completed iontophoresis for all indicated ears, with adequate anesthesia for TT placement in all treated ears as determined by physician's evaluation of TM anesthesia prior to tube placement. Note- the secondary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts.

Time frame: Day of Procedure (Day 0)

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Pivotal Cohort (6 Month to <5 Year Old Children)Anesthesia Effectiveness206 Participants
Comparison: The Anesthesia Effectiveness endpoint would be successfully met if the percentage of subjects with successful anesthesia was greater than (superior to) 85% (by subject), at a significance level of 0.025 (p\<0.025).p-value: <0.0001mid-P method for single proportion
Secondary

Tube Patency

Count (and percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort, in which a Tusker Medical tube was successfully placed, with functionally patent tube(s) at the 3-week post-procedure follow-up visit. Note- thus secondary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts. Note - This endpoint includes subjects for which at least 1 ear had successful tube placement. For bilateral subjects, they may be considered a non-successful procedure if only 1 ear had successful tube placement, however would be evaluated for the Tube Patency endpoint for the ear that was successful.

Time frame: 3 Weeks Post Procedure

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Pivotal Cohort (6 Month to <5 Year Old Children)Tube Patency191 Participants
Comparison: Tube Patency endpoint would be successfully met if the percentage of subjects with patent tubes was greater than (superior to) 80% (by subject), at a significance level of 0.025 (p\<0.025).p-value: <0.0001mid-P method for single proportion
Secondary

Tube Retention

Count (percentage) of subjects in the pivotal cohort, in which a Tusker Medical tube(s) was successfully placed, with presence of a Tusker Medical tube across the TM in all successfully treated ears at the 3-week post-procedure follow-up visit. Note- the secondary endpoint applies only to the Pivotal Cohort, and not to the OR Lead-In or Office Lead-In cohorts. Note - This endpoint includes subjects for which at least 1 ear had successful tube placement. For bilateral subjects, they may be considered a non-successful procedure if only 1 ear had successful tube placement, however would be evaluated for the Tube Retention endpoint for the ear that was successful.

Time frame: 3 Weeks Post Procedure

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Pivotal Cohort (6 Month to <5 Year Old Children)Tube Retention206 Participants
Comparison: Tube Retention endpoint would be successfully met if the percentage of subjects with retained tubes was greater than (superior to) 88% (by subject), at a significance level of 0.025 (p\<0.025).p-value: <0.0001mid-P method for single proportion

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026