Tag Archives: ear infections

Ear Infections…Why Do You Plague My Child?!

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previously published in KC Baby magazine Winter issue 2011-12

Your infant cries more than usual, refuses feedings, has a discolored runny nose and tugs at her ear all morning long…what is your first thought? Colic? Not hungry? Coming down with a cold? These are common signs of an ear infection, and you DON’T want to ignore these symptoms. Call your pediatrician right away.

“Next to the common cold, ear infections are the most commonly diagnosed childhood illness in the United States,” reports the Nemours Foundation. So it is a good idea that parents become familiar with these symptoms and prepare for what to do.

What Is an Ear Infection (Otitis Media)?

Basically, the middle ear (the space behind the eardrum), which happens to be shorter and more horizontal in younger children than adults, gets full of fluid from either a common cold or allergies; and without proper drainage, a secondary infection can occur, causing a fever, ear pain and a red, bulging ear drum. Ear infections usually start on the third day of a cold. Otitis media peaks at the ages of 6 months to 2 years; however, the infections can remain a problem up until 8 years of age, according to the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP).

Dr. Scott Dattel, a pediatrician at Kansas City Pediatrics, says, “When a young patient presents with clear nasal drainage, no fever and the pediatrician has ruled out all signs of a bacterial infection, they will have the parent watch the child carefully for 3-5 days. However, if the child isn’t getting better, the clear mucus turns green and a fever goes higher than 101 degrees, the child needs to be rechecked, and a course of antibiotics will probably be required.”

“I find antibiotics a necessary evil for an infant with an ear infection,” says Heidi Prentice, an Overland Park mother of two girls. “I don’t think it is fair to let the baby suffer with the pain, fever and sleeplessness that my baby gets with her recurring ear infections. I also don’t want to chance hearing loss. However, I found that using saline rinses at the first sign of the sniffles can oftentimes prevent an ear infection altogether.”

Preventing Recurrent Infections

  1. Stay Away from Tobacco Smoke – Make sure that no one smokes in your home, the car or at the daycare where your child stays. Exposure to secondhand smoke can increase the frequency and the severity of your child’s ear infections.
  2. Breastfeed Infants for at Least 6 Months – This can actually prevent early ear infections. With bottle-feeding, babies tend to lie down to drink their bottles, causing fluid to pool in that middle ear. Try to keep them more upright for better results.
  3. Fewer Exposures to Large Groups of Kids – More kids to breathe on, more colds, more risk of turning into ear infection…the circle of ear infection life!
  4. Good Handwashing – Do I need to explain this one again? Let’s all try to do better, right?!
  5. Keep Immunizations Up-to-Date – Certain vaccines, such as the pneumococcal, flu and Hib can keep your child from getting sick and progressing into an ear infection.

Ear Tube Surgery

“Ventilation tubes are tiny plastic tubes that are inserted through the eardrum by an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) surgeon, which allow fluid to drain out of the middle ear space and allow air to re-enter,” reports the AAP. “This reduces the risk of recurrent ear infections and returns the hearing to normal.”

Parents often debate whether or not to treat their infant with antibiotics for ear infections; but it is imperative your child be seen by a medical provider who can fully assess the situation and determine what is best for your baby. If the infection is severe enough and left untreated, further complications can arise. Please let your doctor advise you closely in these decisions!

Stacey Hatton is a pediatric RN, mother of two girls (one with ear tubes, one without) and a freelance writer in Overland Park, who is so glad the days of monthly ear infections are over!

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Swimmer’s Ear Costs Up to $500 Million a Year in U.S.

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This article was recently published and it couldn’t be printed at a more appropriate time with Memorial Day and all the pools opening.  Have a safe summer and happy ears to you and yours!! ~Nurse Mommy

CDC advises to take steps to prevent this common water-related infection,

By Margaret Steele

THURSDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) — Summer fun can take a nose dive if someone in the family gets swimmer’s ear, a common infection that accounts for almost $500 million in U.S. health-care costs each year, according to a new government report.

Swimmer’s ear results in 2.4 million doctor visits annually in the United States, each visit costing an average of $200, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in the agency’s May 20 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“Most people think of swimmer’s ear as a mild condition that quickly goes away, but this common infection is responsible for millions of illnesses and substantial medical costs each year,” Michael Beach, the CDC’s associate director for healthy water, said in a CDC news release. Many of these cases are preventable, he added.

The painful condition is caused by water from swimming, bathing or other wet activities sitting too long in the ear canal, allowing germs to multiply. Warm temperatures and humidity increase the risk of developing swimmer’s ear, which is commonly caused by germs found in pools, lakes and other recreational swimming spots, the CDC authors explained.

The infection usually clears up with a regimen of prescription antimicrobial ear drops.

The report, which the CDC said is the first to look at the costs associated with swimmer’s ear, found that one out of 123 Americans sought medical treatment for swimmer’s ear in 2007.

Children between 5 and 14 years old had the highest rates of doctor’s visits between 2003 and 2007, the researchers found, but adults 21 and older accounted for more than half of the visits.

Forty-four percent of reported cases occurred in June, July or August, and the South was the region with the highest rates.

Researchers used data from two national databases to determine the number of outpatient visits for swimmer’s ear between 2003 and 2007. To estimate the costs of those visits, they looked at an insurance database for millions of people who have employer-provided health insurance. The cost estimate included what the insurers paid, the patients’ out-of-pocket costs, and the price of prescription treatments.

After determining that the average per-patient cost was $200, researchers multiplied that amount by the 2.4 million cases to arrive at the total health cost estimate for swimmer’s ear.

“By taking simple steps before and after swimming or coming in contact with water, people can greatly reduce their risk of this painful infection,” Beach said in the news release.

These recommendations include:

  • Dry your ears after swimming or showering.
  • If you’re around water, try to keep ears dry.
  • Don’t put foreign objects in the ear canal or remove ear wax yourself because these can irritate skin inside the ear, possibly leading to an infection.
  • Ask your doctor if you should use alcohol-based ear drops after swimming.

Itchy, flaky, swollen or painful ears could indicate you have swimmer’s ear. If you notice these symptoms, or have fluid draining from your ears, you should consult your doctor, experts advise.

SOURCE: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, May 19, 2011

HealthDay
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One Minute Clinics for Ear Infections?

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Here is a question from a concerned mom.  I don’t normally post these questions, for I advise parents to always talk to their pediatrician, but I thought at this time of year, it might be helpful for many parents:

Nurse Mommy,

I think my little boy has an ear infection. He had one in December and it cleared with a round of mild antibiotics (amoxicillin, i think). Am I a terrible Mom to take him to a (one-minute/drug store) clinic instead of our pediatrician for this one? The visit to the pediatrician is about $30 more our of pocket and I would love to save the money as long as it won’t compromise his care. I’d appreciate your input.

Worried in KC

Dear Mommy,

Great question!  For the most part, I find Nurse Practitioners are pretty thorough and usually are running the one-minute clinics, but you want one that has had a pediatric rotation (such as a family medicine practitioner).  All medical providers can look in an ear, but the problem is a child’s ear is harder to diagnose; and if there is not a glaring infection, someone not used to looking at kids ears might not be as accurate as a pediatrician.  This is a tough call.  If your son is pulling and complaining of ear pain, has mucus pouring out of his head, you probably would be okay taking him to the one-minute clinic.  However, if you aren’t confident  in what is wrong with your kiddo and you can afford it, I would recommend a peds provider (Pediatrician or a pediatric Nurse Practitioner).

I always recommend you call your pediatricians nurse line to obtain the advice from your providers no matter what . They are a wealth of information and will tell you what your pediatrician would say to you.  They will be keeping track of your child’s illnesses in one chart.  If your child is getting numerous ear infections in a year, a referral to a ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist may be needed for assessment of ear tubes.  They would need to have a complete record of illnesses and if you are jumping around from providers, a problem could be missed.

Also, kids can develop a raging ear infection faster than SuperMom can wipe a green “11″ away from under their nose.  Much faster than adults.  It can go down hill pretty fast, so I wouldn’t wait.

Link to the “Ear Doc”.  A vibrating device that the sponsors/doctors claim can prevent inner ear infections.

(Not recommending this, just putting the link out there for interested readers.)

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZBuTygIbp4]

©2010, Hatton. All rights reserved.

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