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Middle
Ear Infections in Kids: The Latest on Ear Tubes, Summer Swimming...and Taking
a Bath
New
York, NY (Summer 2003) -- For many years, pediatric otolaryngologists such as
Jay Dolitsky, M.D., at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, recommended that kids with ear tubes plug them up when they go swimming. The reason: to keep water and bacteria from seeping through the tube and into the middle ear, where it might cause a serious infection, called otitis media.
“Now, I tell parents that if their kids have ear tubes and are just splashing around or surface swimming at the beach or in a pool, they do not need ear plugs,” said Dr. Dolitsky. “A lot of kids are really put off by wearing plugs at the beach, so when I tell parents their kids do not need them, the parents are overjoyed – not to mention the kids.”
“In the past decade, research has shown that children who swim without ear plugs do not get any more middle ear infections than those who wear them,” said Dr. Dolitsky. But, old preventive medicine rules die hard, and many parents still have their kids fitted with a custom-made ear plug or place a cotton ball with Vaseline into the ear canal when they go swimming.
Ear tubes are placed in many children under five, and some who are older, because they lack a fully functioning Eustachian tube, the organ that runs from the middle ear to the back of the nose to ventilate and drain the middle ear. The tube helps ventilation.
“There are always exceptions to rules,” said Dr. Dolitsky. “First, if kids are diving or swimming four or five feet below the surface, the underwater pressure may force water into the tube, so that can be dangerous. These children should wear plugs.”
“Second, don’t throw the ear plugs out when in the bathwater. Soap and shampoo changes the surface tension of water making it “slippery” and the dirty bath water can slip into the ear tube’s opening. This could lead to middle ear infections.”
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Related
Information on NYEE.EDU
Cod Liver Oil and a Vitamin/Mineral tablet May Prevent Middle Ear Infections in Children
Highlights (Summer 2002)
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