Otovent Autoinflation Device - Clinically Effective Treatment for Glue Ear

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Your child’s specialist may perform a surgery called myringotomy. During this procedure, the specialist will make a small cut in your child’s eardrum to allow fluid to drain from their middle ear. The specialist may place a tiny, hollow ear tube in the cut. The tube helps balance the pressure in their eardrum with the pressure in their middle ear. It also provides drainage from your child’s middle ear to their outer ear. The tube usually falls out on its own within a year. Adenoidectomy

Perera R, Glasziou PP, Heneghan CJ et al. Autoinflation for hearing loss associated with otitis media with effusion. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(5):CD006285. One parent commented: " We made a joke out of it; it was a bit of a game really - to see who could blow the biggest balloon" Surgery for glue ear involves placing tiny plastic tubes called grommets into your ear drum. These help drain out fluid from your middle ear. Your doctor may offer your child surgery if their glue ear is no better after three months and they have severe hearing loss in both ears. Surgery may also be an option if your child’s learning or development is significantly affected. Glue ear is a common condition in childhood where the middle ear is filled with fluid, without infection. About one in five children around the age of two will be affected by glue ear at any given time, and in the UK, GPs see about 200,000 children each year because of it.However, if your child has glue ear for more than three months, treatment may be recommended. In general, if your child has symptoms of glue ear, they will be referred for hearing tests. This is followed by a three-month “active monitoring” period after which your child will need to have another set of hearing tests. This treatment could potentially reduce the number of surgical interventions required as a higher proportion of children will have restored hearing within three months. Long-term follow-up studies after grommet insertion show a high rate of recurrence of glue ear, increased risk of a permanently perforated eardrum, and a high chance of hearing loss in the higher frequencies in later life. Have you ever noticed that when you have a cold, your hearing seems to be affected too? That condition is known as “glue ear,” and if left untreated, it can disrupt your work and social life. Other symptoms that can affect both adults and children include a feeling of fullness inside your ear, mild earache and hearing ‘popping’ in your ear. You or your child may have problems with balance too.

Breastfeeding (chestfeeding): Breastmilk (chestmilk) provides vital nutrients that your baby needs to help fight off infections. Research has shown that breastfed babies are less likely to get glue ear. Avoiding cigarette smoke: Children who spend time around cigarette smoke are at a higher risk of developing glue ear. Try to keep smoke out of your house and car as much as possible. The use of a simple nasal balloon can help restore hearing in children aged 4 to 11 with glue ear.After 3 months, this non-surgical treatment restored normal hearing to 49.6% of children with glue ear compared with 38.3% receiving usual care. Children inflate the balloon by blowing it up with their noses rather than their mouths. The activity which is done three times a day can be taught by nurses in a GP surgery. Few non-surgical treatments exist for children with glue ear. Some, such as antibiotics, are used despite evidence they don’t work. It is hoped using the nasal balloon may help reduce this unnecessary use of antibiotics and reduce the number of children requiring surgery, the last choice for symptoms persisting past three months. Most children have no problems after surgery. Discharge and infection are the most common complications. Rarely, a condition called tympanosclerosis occurs in which a chalky sort of substance develops in the eardrum. This is a scar on the ear drum and it usually does not cause any long-term problems.

Which symptoms should I be looking for?

Steam inhalation can ease symptoms by getting more warm air into your nose and subsequently your Eustachian tubes.