Tuesday, September 20, 2005
The EarPopper, for Popping Ears
Filed under: ENT
Everyone has experienced the uncomfortable sensation of middle ear pressure changes. And if you pay attention on a flight in descent, you can see how passengers try coping: chewing gum, half-sneezes, and the occasional finger jab. But when that sensation persists, it could lead to chronic infection and hearing loss. That's where the EarPopper fits:
The hand-held, battery-operated EarPopper(TM) delivers a constant, controlled stream of air pressure and flow into the nasal cavity, diverting air up the Eustachian tube when the patient swallows. This action clears and ventilates the middle ear and restores hearing immediately...In a four-year study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and directed by Drs. Arick and Silman, 74 percent of children diagnosed with hearing loss from persistent OME were restored to normal hearing after seven weeks of treatment with the EarPopper, compared to only 24 percent of the control group. After extending the treatment for four weeks in patients who did not recover within the first seven weeks, the total recovery for the study group was 85 percent. The results will be published in two parts in the Ear, Nose and Throat Journal in September and October 2005.
The device is available by prescription or professional use only -- which no doubt has aroused protests from airport duty-free shops.
More from Micromedics...
And a primer on the Politzer Maneuver (did you know the eustachian tube was named by... Valsalva?)
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