Middle Ear Infection Treatment

The location of the middle ear is just behind the eardrum and the tiny bones in this area facilitate transmission of sound from eardrum to inner ear. A middle ear infection follows soon after a cold or flu, upper respiratory infection or allergies. In these conditions, nasal congestion occurs because of mucus build up in its passage. This fluid substance enters the middle part of the ear through the Eustachian tubes, whose one end lies in the middle part of the ear and the other one lies at the back of the throat. The throat end of the tube opens and closes from time to time to maintain air pressure in the ear and to drain out any fluid secreted in the middle ear. As these tubes are already clogged up by mucus, fluid that reaches the middle of the ear canal cannot be drained out. Uncontrollable growth of bacteria or virus in this accumulated fluid leads to middle ear infection.

Symptoms
Middle ear infections commonly occur in small children. This is because their Eustachian tube is quite narrow and is horizontal. Therefore, it becomes quite difficult for these tubes to drain out fluid from the ear properly. You can identify a middle ear infection with the help of one or more of the following symptoms:

• Earache can be very mild or severe. The pain often intensifies after lying down.
• Sense of fullness in the ear is another symptom. Children often express their discomfort caused by sense of fullness by tugging at their ear repeatedly.
• Fluid discharge from the ears is another symptom that is experienced.
• Difficulty in hearing sounds is often experienced in patients with middle ear infection.
• Mild fever is another symptom that occurs.

Treatment
When you visit the doctor with this problem, they conduct thorough visual examination of the ear with help of a device named otoscope. It is an instrument that enables them to look into the changes that have taken place in the appearance of the eardrum and ear canal. They may also test a sample of the fluid discharged from the ears.

The main aim of treatment is to alleviate the painful symptoms and eliminate the infection. Let us first talk about the treatment for pain relief. Oral pain relieving medicines are used for reducing the earache. However, pain relieving medicines that are used for treating ear pain in children and adults are often different. Sometimes, doctors may avoid use of any oral medicines for pain reduction in children. Administration of ear drops is recommended in children for pain relief. The dosage of the ear drops is decided by the doctor and you must follow the same. Do not put ear drops every time your child is complaining about pain in the ears. Along with these medicines, try warm compression as it has a soothing effect on the pain. Simply place a damp, warm washcloth on the ear for 10 minutes to get the desired results.

Antibiotic treatment is needed to fight off the infection. Oral antibiotic pills are prescribed for this purpose. The course of these medicines should be completed even if the symptoms subside after a day or two. If you stop these medicines in the middle, then there is a high chance of recurrence of the infection. If infants get middle ear infection, then the antibiotic medicines have to be administered intravenously. Sometimes, the infection turns serious and perforations occur in the eardrum. This kind of damage is healed by antibiotic ear drops. Before administering the medicine into the ear, the fluid has to be suctioned out by a special technique.

In many cases, it has been found that even after the infection subsides, the fluid remains inside the ear for a long time. These patients are asked to visit the doctor for regular checkups. Sometimes, this residue of fluid inside the ear that lasts longer than 2 months, causes frequent ear infections. In this case, doctors opt for a surgical method for the removal of the fluid. A small-sized hole is made in the eardrum and a tube is fitted there to drain out the fluid accumulated in the middle part of the ear. This is a minor surgery and is called myringotomy. The tubes placed in the eardrum prevent any further fluid accumulation and drain out the existing fluid. After the ear becomes free from fluid build up, the tube may fall out on its own after 6 months or so. Some tubes have to be removed with another minor surgery. The hole created in the eardrum closes on its own.

In some cases, the infection may get resolved on its own without the use of any antibiotics. Still, consulting a doctor is a must in order to avoid unnecessary future complications like perforated eardrum, etc. The recovery time may vary between 2 weeks to 2 months. If it takes a longer time than that, you must act patiently and follow the instructions provided by the doctor.