Otovent Autoinflation Device - Clinically Effective Treatment for Glue Ear

Product Information

If a child’s hearing loss is severe, or they’ve had it for a while, they may have problems with speech and language. Their listening skills can also be affected and these things together can affect their progress at nursery or school. In the inner ear, the sound waves are transformed into electric impulses that are sent to the brain, allowing us to hear. In contrast, birds and reptiles only have one little ear bone and no empty middle ear space. The human ear evolved this middle air-filled space to provide room for the three inner ear bones, and this evolved from ancestors with a much simpler ear anatomy. MIBs provide a description of the medical technology, including its likely place in therapy, the costs of using the technology and a critical review of the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant published evidence.

they have Down's syndrome or a cleft lip and palate, as glue ear is less likely to get better by itselfDulled hearing from glue ear may cause problems with speech and language development, particularly if it has been present for a long time. Therefore, if a child has speech delay, one of the first assessments that is requested is a hearing test. Other symptoms A review of studies conducted in 2010 suggests that there are initial benefits from surgery, but this diminishes after six to nine months, with no overall improvement seen at 12 to 18 months. Glue ear often goes away naturally without treatment. Your child’s healthcare provider will usually wait several months to see if the fluid clears up on its own. If your child’s symptoms don’t improve naturally, treatment options may include: Antibiotics 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. Steam inhalation can ease symptoms by getting more warm air into your nose and subsequently your Eustachian tubes.

This meant that about nine children need to be treated with the nasal balloon, for one extra child to recover normal hearing by three months (number needed to treat 9). This is a clinically important result. Keep out of reach of children. The treatment of children should always be supervised by an adult. Never use toy balloons in performing the Otovent method as toy balloons do not give the proper inflation pressure and may cause treatment failure.

Living with grommets

If balloon dilatation isn’t successful, your doctor may then recommend grommet surgery. This is a more invasive procedure where a thin, hollow plastic tube is inserted into your middle ear through your eardrum. This completely bypasses your Eustachian tube. Recent research has found that children who use the nasal balloon were 40% more likely to have their ears cleared of fluid after 1 month compared to children who had watchful waiting alone. Your ENT doctor will recommend keeping your child’s ears dry for the first 2–4 weeks immediately following the surgery. After this, most children with grommets don't need to take any special precautions and can swim and bath as usual with grommets in. There are a few children who may be at a particular risk of infection due to water entering the ear. If your child is one of these, your ENT doctor may suggest some of the following precautions. Good quality, digital hearing aids are available free of charge for all children on the NHS. Your child may also be offered a bone conduction hearing device.