Ear tubes

Alex

Alex

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Ear infections are one of the most common diseases in early childhood and ear tube surgery is the most common operation in children. Now there's evidence it is a safe and effective way to protect hearing in childhood.

Like many youngsters who battle recurrent ear infections, 22-month-old Ashley Tucker ended up with tubes.

"Since surgery, we haven't had any ear infections and we haven't been sick," mother Katherine Tucker said.

The tiny tubes are inserted into the eardrum to drain fluid and help prevent the chronic infections that can hurt hearing.

"Nice thing about tubes in the short term, the pain goes away and many parents report ‘his language opened up, he's sleeping, it's a relief,’" Pediatrician Dr. Margaret Morris said.

Now parents and doctors have a better grasp on the long-term outcome for children with tubes.

A study that followed more than 200 infants and children for 14 years after surgery finds most youngsters have hearing comparable to kids with healthy ears.

Researchers note that there was some hearing loss - generally mild - in children whose eardrums had not completely healed or who kept having infections

"In general I find these reassuring studies, both on the efficacy and safety of ear tubes on a pretty long term basis," Dr. Morris said.

Reassuring news for parents like Katherine Tucker.

Researchers say the long-term findings are important since even a slight hearing loss in childhood increases the risk of language and learning problems.

Children who live with smokers, attend day care, or use pacifiers may be at a higher risk of ear infections.

From WHDHTV 7News
 
Interesting... I had ear tubes when I was 3 yr old. I never find one tube since I had other tube come out. I think my right ear is DEAF so left ear is losing the hearing when I get older.

I learned that DreamDeaf's deaf cousin has one and he get infected mostly of time than I do. I did not get infected but just WAX comes out from my right.

He and I are near same in the 30's
 
I have ear infection twice in my life time, my dad have one too. That the main factor of how i got deaf by decreasing hearing throughout the school years until senior which I became full deaf that time.
 
Funny thing was the tubes never worked for me. I got tons of ear infections. The only thing that worked was getting surgery to remove my Tonsils. After the surgery all the ear infections stopped.
 
Tubes multiple times?

One of my daughters had tubes put in her ears because of fluid build up behind the eardrum. They worked for several years, but now that the tubes have come out, she is experiencing hearing loss again. The fluid is once again building up. I don't know if there are any permenant tubes that can be placed in the eardrum for this problem or if she will just have to have them put in as they work their way out. A question for the ENT M.D. when we see him next time. Meanwhile, we are all learning Sign Language for different reasons...including being able to communicate with a deaf member of our family and some deaf friends. They all lip read, but we want to learn to sign as well.
 
That's strange but interesting to read about this thread. I had a couple of ear infections, just because of winter times. But worse...when I was a young I did have a lot of ear infections. I really don't know why I got them, but in my opinion I got it from spinal mengistis...I don't know :confused:
 
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