Answers for Parents: Ear Tubes and Your Toddler

Many parents of toddlers are hearing before their eyes the horrible sentence “ears” for their little ones. These tubes, technically called middle ear tubes, are designed to open the Eustachian tubes and can help with chronic conditions or ear infections.

What are the Eustachian tubes and why are they the largest?

The Eustachian tubes are the connection between the ear and the throat. Air balances inside and outside the eardrum control the holding and eardrum cause of the “popping” of the ear. flying in a boat In an adult, the tubes are a good size and point downwards to drain any fluids that may be present. However, the small tubes are narrow and easily blocked. They also begin horizontally, that is, to allow the fluid to sit without dripping. Malfunction of the Eustachian tube ear infections can cause imbalance and difficulty hearing.

What causes ear infection?

The most common cause of ear infection is the build-up of fluid in the middle ear. This moisture can get there when the bay drains or from the general cold. Mucus and other fluids in the head get trapped in the middle ear because the Eustachian tubes do not drain that fluid. Then it acts like a stagnant pool that breeds bacteria. The humor becomes infected and begins to hurt, even causing fevers. Ear infections a> can be treated with antibiotics, but if the fluid cannot drain due to the natural ear canals, then the fluid simply becomes infected again and again. .

How does the tube help?

When a toddler has had numerous ear infections and rounds of antibiotics over several months or even a year, the pediatrician may send the toddler to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. This doctor will examine the patient and suggest tubes. (Other possible remedies are allergy treatments and removal of tonsils and/or adenoids).

When the child has surgery for the tubes, he will be placed under general anesthesia. Although it sounds scary to parents, the anesthesia is really that the child will still be. The doctor will then pierce the eardrum with a small hole and insert a plastic tube. This tube keeps the baby’s Eustachian tube open and allows fluid to drain.

The tubes allow the child’s hearing to return to normal. A build-up of fluid causes a child’s hearing to be hoarse, just as an adult feels when he or she has a cold. If the child lives in this way for too long, hearing or speech may become impaired. The tubes allow the child to start hearing again and clear up the frequent ear infections the child has. The fistulas fall off on their own after six to 18 months, at which time the child’s natural fistulas can be controlled. /a> humors

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