1. Side effects and compliance.

Trial	Side effects	Compliance
Arick 2005	As part of 1‐year follow‐up 2 children with MEE (hearing restored) 3 children had either grommets inserted and/or enlarged adenoid	Compliance of 97.9% (46/47)
Blanshard 1993	Stratified by compliance level: Attacks of OM: 44% control, 36% HC, 30% LC URTI: 61% LC, 32% HC, 23% control Tonsillitis: 22% LC, 5% HC, 13% control Antibiotics: 43% LC, 21% HC, 33% control "No complications arose from using the treatment"	45% high compliance (HC), 43% low compliance (LC), 12% unable to use device Some children with OME found doing the Valsalva manoeuvre painful
Brooker 1992	None reported	Parents reported good compliance
De Nobili 2008	None reported	Not reported
Ercan 2005	None reported	"satisfactory"
Fraser 1977	Some children developed further symptoms and abnormal signs while receiving treatments (do not mention which group)	Not reported
Lesinskas 2003	Treatment (middle ear inflation) stopped for 1 adult patient due to painfulness of procedure	100% follow‐up and compliance (done by physician)
Stangerup 1992	"We have not observed an increase incidence in middle ear infection or eardrum perforation in connection with autoinflation" No comment given on baseline incidence level	Compliance at 2 weeks: 33/51 (65%) high compliance 10/51 (20%) low compliance 3/51 (6%) no compliance No data given on the other 5 children

HC: high compliance 
 LC: low compliance 
 MEE: middle ear effusion 
 OM: otitis media 
 OME: otitis media with effusion 
 URTI: upper respiratory tract infection