Acute Otitis Media (AOM) Therapy Trial in Young Children

Time to resolution of symptoms is defined as the time from randomization until a child's AOM-SOS score reaches 0 or 1. The parent rated each of 7 symptoms (ear tugging, crying, irritability, difficulty sleeping, diminished activity, diminished appetite & fever) as 0, 1 or 2 (none, a little, a lot) and recorded the ratings in a diary following enrollment on Day 1, twice daily Days 2 and 3, then once daily Days 4-7. Each set of ratings was summed to obtain an AOM-SOS score. The maximum possible score was 14 and the minimum was 0. A score >=3 was required to be enrolled in the study.

Time to resolution of symptoms is defined as the time from randomization until a child's AOM-SOS score reaches <= 1 on two consecutive occasions. The parent rated each of 7 symptoms (ear tugging, crying, irritability, difficulty sleeping, diminished activity, diminished appetite & fever) as 0, 1 or 2 (none, a little, a lot) & recorded the ratings in a diary following enrollment on Day 1, twice daily Days 2 & 3, & once daily Days 4-7. Each set of ratings was summed to obtain an AOM-SOS score. The maximum possible was 14 and the minimum 0. A score >=3 was required to be enrolled in the study.

The AOM-SOS score is derived from parent scoring each of 7 symptoms (ear tugging, crying, irritability, difficulty sleeping, diminished activity, diminished appetite & fever) associated with AOM as 0, 1 or 2 (none, a little, a lot). The AOM-SOS was administered twice daily the first 3 days of follow-up, then daily for 4 additional days. Symptom burden for each child is determined by calculating the weighted average of symptom scores post-enrollment over the first 7 days of therapy. Scores are weighted by 1/k, where k is the number of post-enrollment assessments taken on that day.

Clinical failure by the on-therapy visit is defined as either failure to achieve substantial improvement in symptoms, or worsening of otoscopic signs, or both.

Clinical failure by the end of therapy visit is defined as failure to achieve complete or virtually complete resolution of symptoms and of otoscopic signs, but without regard to the persistence of middle ear effusion.

The parent rated each of 7 symptoms (ear tugging, crying, irritability, difficulty sleeping, diminished activity, diminished appetite & fever) as 0, 1 or 2 (none, a little, a lot) and recorded the ratings in a diary following enrollment on Day 1, twice daily Days 2 and 3, then once daily Days 4-7. Each set of ratings was summed to obtain an AOM-SOS score as a measure of symptom burden. The maximum possible score was 14 and the minimum was 0.

The parent rated each of 7 symptoms (ear tugging, crying, irritability, difficulty sleeping, diminished activity, diminished appetite & fever) as 0, 1 or 2 (none, a little, a lot) and recorded the ratings in a diary following enrollment on Day 1 and twice daily Days 2 and 3. Each set of ratings was summed to obtain an Acute Otitis Media-Severity of Symptoms (AOM-SOS) score. We compared a child's AOM-SOS scores in the first 72 hours to his/her score at enrollment to determine if a child's symptoms got worse (score increased) or remained unchanged or improved (score remained same or decreased).

The parents were asked to complete a memory aid for the first 10 days of the study. One item asked them to record medications administered to the child in addition to the study medication. The data presented shows the mean number of times analgesic, i.e. ibuprofen or acetaminophen, was administered.

Analysis was limited to those adverse events identified as being associated with either the study medication or the antimicrobials administered to children who were treatment failures or as being a complication of acute otitis media.

AOM pathogens are defined as Streptococcus Pneumoniae or Haemophilus Influenzae or Moraxella Catarrhalis or Streptococcus Pyogenes. Nasopharyngeal cultures were obtained at the end of therapy visit.

AOM pathogens are defined as Streptococcus Pneumoniae or Haemophilus Influenzae or Moraxella Catarrhalis or Streptococcus Pyogenes. Nasopharyngeal cultures were obtained at the follow-up visit.

For tympanograms with values for height, middle-ear air pressure, and gradient width, the probability of Middle Ear Effusion (MEE) was estimated by applying an algorithm developed by Smith et al. If the tympanogram was flat and had no printed values for the 3 fields, the probability of MEE was estimated to be .802 based on the proportion of ears with flat graphs that were found otoscopically, by Smith et al, to have MEE.

For tympanograms with values for height, middle-ear air pressure, and gradient width, the probability of Middle Ear Effusion (MEE) was estimated by applying an algorithm developed by Smith et al. If the tympanogram was flat and had no printed values for the 3 fields, the probability of MEE was estimated to be .802 based on the proportion of ears with flat graphs that were found otoscopically, by Smith et al, to have MEE.

For tympanograms with values for height, middle-ear air pressure, and gradient width, the probability of Middle Ear Effusion (MEE) was estimated by applying an algorithm developed by Smith et al. If the tympanogram was flat and had no printed values for the 3 fields, the probability of MEE was estimated to be .802 based on the proportion of ears with flat graphs that were found otoscopically, by Smith et al, to have MEE.

At each visit parents were asked if they had taken their child to his/her primary care physician since the last contact. Medical records were also reviewed.

At each visit we asked parents if they had to take their child to the emergency department. We also reviewed medical records to assure even more accurate reporting.

This is the number of times, in the course of the study, a child required treatment with an antibiotic other than the blinded study medication.

At each visit, parent or parents were asked if their child's illness had caused either parent to miss a day or partial day of work. The total number of visits is summed across all participants in the respective treatment arms.

At each visit, parent or parents were asked if their child's illness had caused them to make alternative daycare arrangements. The total number of visits is summed across all participants in the respective treatment arms.

Parents were asked to circle the expression that best represented their satisfaction with the study medication. These expressions have an assigned value: Very dissatisfied = 1, Somewhat dissatisfied = 2, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied = 3, Somewhat satisfied = 4 and Very satisfied = 5.

Parents were asked to circle the expression that best represented their satisfaction with the study medication. These expressions have an assigned value: Very dissatisfied = 1, Somewhat dissatisfied = 2, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied = 3, Somewhat satisfied = 4 and Very satisfied = 5.

Parents were asked to circle the expression that best represented their satisfaction with the study medication. These expressions have an assigned value: Very dissatisfied = 1, Somewhat dissatisfied = 2, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied = 3, Somewhat satisfied = 4 and Very satisfied = 5.