BAHA Implant
Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is a device surgically implanted to help people suffering from a loss of hearing. Most conventional hearing aids transmit sound through air conduction. The BAHA device is suitable for conductive or mild-moderate mixed hearing loss.

Problems with hearing in the middle or outer ears can be helped with the BAHA device. The sound waves received by the BAHA device bypass the middle ear and get delivered straight to the functioning cochlea in both ears.

A BAHA device comprises of two parts:
a) The processor 
b) A fixture which is surgically implanted behind the ear in the bone.

The implant is embedded in the bone. The processor, which remains outside, is attached to the implant. There is a microphone on the processor that picks up sounds. The sounds are passed on to the implant. The implant vibrates which triggers the Cochlear. You can consider wearing a BAHA implant if other conventional hearing aids do not work for you. BAHA implants are also given to people with collapsed or irritated ear canals.

Cochlear Implant Surgery

A complex, small electronic device that helps hearing in people with severe hearing loss or deafness is used in the Cochlear Implant Surgery. The cochlear implant comprises of an external piece behind the ear and another piece that is surgically implanted under the skin. A cochlear implant comprises of four parts:
1. A microphone which picks up sounds from the surroundings
2. A speech processor which chooses and arranges the sounds the microphone picks up
3. A receiver/stimulator and transmitter that picks up signals from the speech processor and changes them into electric impulses
4. An electrode ray, a bunch of electrodes, receives impulses the stimulator sends and transmits them to different areas of the auditory nerves.
The implant does not cure deafness; it only gives you a useful portrayal of sounds in the environment and considerable aid in understanding speech.

The surgery is done in the following way:
i. The area around the site of the implant is shaved or cleaned
ii. The patient's vital signs are monitored through cables, patches and monitors attached to him or her
iii. General anaesthesia is administered through IV or through a face mask
iv. After the device is implanted, the patient is taken to the recovery room for the anaesthesia effect to lessen.

BAHA Implant and Cochlear Implant Surgery

Ear aches are a common complaint for many children. An ear infection can be explained as an inflammation of the middle ear. Unlike other aches, this one cannot be soothed by scratching or applying pressure and hence makes children cranky. Ear infections are usually triggered by bacteria or viruses. 
This causes inflammation that narrows the tube in the ear and allows fluid to build up. This fluid buildup is responsible for the pain.

However, not all ear infections need to be treated with medication. When it comes to treating ear aches in children, picking a natural remedy is a much better option ,since it has no side effects and can address the root cause of the infection. Here are a few natural remedies for earaches:

1. Compress: Hot and cold compresses are very effective ways of treating pain and can be used for earaches as well. Place an ice pack or a warm, moist compress over the ear to soothe the ache. Heat relaxes the muscles and stimulates blood flow while ice controls inflammation and swelling. Hot and cold compresses should not be applied for over 20 minutes at a time. 

2. Water: Some actions can help open up the eustachian tube to the middle ear. Swallowing is one such action. To encourage your child to swallow, offer him lots of fluids. 

3. Oil: Before using oil to treat an earache ensure that your child is not suffering from a ruptured eardrum and there is no fluid leaking from the ear. Pouring a few drops of warm olive oil or sesame oil can help soothe the pain by opening up the eustachian tube. It can also prevent the buildup of excessive ear wax and form a protective layer on the outer ear against bacteria and other infections. 

4. Elevate the head: Elevating a child's head can help improve sinus drainage. When it comes to children, instead of using a pillow below their head, place the pillow below the mattress to create a gradual slope. 

5. Onion: Onions can be used in many different ways to treat earaches. You could either juice an onion and put a few drops of the same in the ear or slice an onion in half and heat it before placing it over the ear like an ear muff. Onion contains anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties that help soothe earaches effectively and quickly. 

If the earache does not reduce or if there is a discharge from the ear, do not continue to self treat it and consult a doctor immediately.

Natural Remedies for Ear Infections in Children

Tinnitus is a disorder which is characterized by a constant perception of a ringing noise in the ears. This is not the condition in itself, rather it signals some other underlying condition such as an ear injury or age related hearing loss. It is not a serious condition, although the symptoms can worsen with age. If you are affected by this disorder, you might experience or  hear  a constant ringing sensation in the ears, even if there are no external sources of noise. These sounds could range from being a buzzing, ringing, to a hissing sound. This condition has mighty chances of interfering with your daily routine.

It is classified into two types:

Objective tinnitus: This disorder is caused by muscle contractions or a blood vessel problem.
Subjective tinnitus: The more commonly occurring type, it is caused by damage to the auditory nerves or regions of the brain that interpret sound.
The causes of this disorder are:

Exposure to loud noise: If you are exposed to loud noises such as the ones emanating from firearms or heavy machinery over a prolonged period, it can lead to tinnitus.
Aging: Aging can cause progressive loss of hearing, thus triggering tinnitus.
Blockage of the ear: There is earwax present in the ears, the function of which is to trap dirt and bacteria. Excessive earwax accumulation leads to loss of hearing, resulting in tinnitus.
Modifications of the ear bone: Any stiffening of the middle bone in the ear could impair your hearing and result in this condition.
Certain factors such as smoking, age, sex (men are prone to this disorder) and heart related disorders increase the risks of being affected by this condition.

Treatment
The treatment of this condition begins with the identification of the underlying condition, if any. The various treatment options are  

Removal of earwax: Excess earwax has gotten rid of which can relieve symptoms of tinnitus.
Suppression of noise: Certain machines, known as white noise machines, produce random sounds such as the sound of rain or the sounds of waves, thus eliminating the  hearing  of sounds which are common to this condition.
Medications: Certain medications such as alprazolam and nortriptyline can help reduce the severity of the symptoms.

Constant Ringing in Ears - Causes + Treatment

Having a foreign object stuck inside a child s ear or nose is an issue many parents encounter, especially while their child is a toddler. At the early developmental stages, it s natural for children to be curious and attempt such things. It is also quite common for children as well as adults to get insects caught inside their nose or ear. In situations such as this, it s best not to worry, as people tend to aggravate the situation when they panic.
The first thing you should try if you have any foreign object stuck inside your nose is to blow your nose. Be careful not to push too hard so as to not risk injury. Often children will be able to expel foreign objects from their nose only when asked to blow their nose.

If the foreign object in question is not stuck up the nose, but up the ear, or if blowing your nose has not helped, you should try and remove the object with a pair of clean tweezers. Do not try to use household items other than tweezers, as they might push the object further up the cavity. Do keep in mind to have someone help you while removing foreign objects from your own ear as well as to keep in mind to be extra careful not to be too harsh as you might puncture your ear drum. If the foreign object is stuck up your child s nose or ear and they refuse to keep still, it s best to take them to a professional.

What can an ENT specialist do?
If you have a foreign object stuck in your nose or ear and can t get it out easily, it s safest to go to the doctor rather than risk hurting yourself or your child. An Ear-Nose-Throat Specialist can use a local anesthetic to numb the area and use their expertise to better navigate the cavity and remove the object from the ear or nose. If the object is too far up the nose to reach, the ENT Specialist can administer medication to induce a nosebleed which will naturally dislodge the object from the cavity without having to insert anything into it.

When faced with problems such as a foreign object stuck in the ear or nasal cavity, it s best to consult a professional as soon as possible instead of leaving the problem untouched for a long duration of time, as activities such as sniffing or scratching may further aggravate the issue.

Foreign Body Inside Ear, Nose Or Throat - What To Do And What Not To?

Tinnitus is when you think that there is noise when there really is no sound. It is very common and is not very serious either. It affects about 1/5th of the population. It is worth note that tinnitus is not a condition. Instead, it is a symptom of having a condition. These conditions range from hearing loss, an ear injury or even a circulatory system disorder. Even though tinnitus does worsen with age however it can also improve with treatment. If you know the cause of tinnitus, it does help treat it. Here is everything you need to know about tinnitus.

Symptoms of Tinnitus
As mentioned earlier, tinnitus is a ringing, hissing, clicking or buzzing sound which only you can hear and no one else.

Causes of Tinnitus
There are many common causes of tinnitus including:
1. Age-related hearing loss: Tinnitus is commonly caused due to hearing loss.
2. Meniere's disease: Meniere's disease is a type of inner ear disorder. It is when there are abnormalities in the fluid pressure of your inner ear.
3. Medications: Many medications have a side effect of tinnitus as well including certain antibiotics, antidepressants, cancer medications and even aspirin.
4. Loud noise exposure: Exposure to loud noise once in a while will not cause tinnitus. However, constant exposure to loud noise might cause tinnitus.
5. Changes in the shape of your ear bone: Otosclerosis is an abnormal bone growth which results in the bones in your middle ear stiffening.
6. Acoustic neuroma: There is a nerve, which goes from the brain straight to the inner ear. When this nerve develops a tumor, it is known as acoustic neuroma which is a common cause of tinnitus.

Treatment of Tinnitus
Tinnitus can be only be stopped if the underlying condition is treated. However, there are certain electronic devices, which help suppress the noise including:
1. Hearing aids: Hearing aids are already helpful for people who have hearing loss; however they can also help reduce tinnitus.
2. Masking device: Wearing a masking device which continuously emits a low-level noise helps stop the buzzing, clicking, hissing or ringing sound which comes with tinnitus.

Causes and Treatment of Tinnitus

Most people listen to music or their favourite videos while on the move, and they spend a considerable amount of time plugging in the headphones or earphones. If you are concerned about the pros and cons of the headphones and earphones, or rather which one is better, you will have to consider various aspects. These include noise isolation, frequency response, noise cancellation and comfort of wearing.

Earphones are devices which are worn on the pinna or the internal part of the ear. This device is also referred to as earbuds, in-ears, canal phones, buds, in-ear headphones, IEMs.

Headphones are equipment worn on or around the ear. These are not considered as handy as the earphones and are also known as ear speakers. Let s evaluate the pros and cons of these two devices and choose the one that is better.

Frequency response curve: This helps in assessing how much distortion is brought about by the devices which relate to the clarity. They should be able to respond equally well to all the pitches without transmitting any frequency more loudly than another. This suggests that the frequency you are receiving should be exactly similar to what has been fed in regardless of the frequency ranges. Typically, the earphones have bad frequency response while the headphones tend to have better frequency response. If you are primarily concerned about the noise distortion, then you should opt for headphones.
Noise isolation: By this, it is understood how well does the gear help in isolating other noises than what you are trying to listen. Generally, higher noise isolation is preferred unless you are willing to hear the sounds of the ambience. Better isolation also ensures that your audio would not bother others surrounding you. A rightly fitted pair of earphones would be able to give you the best noise isolation whereas good over-ear headphones would not be able to seal the sound from going out.
Noise cancellation: Noise cancellation is entirely different from the noise isolation. In the process of noise isolation, the atmospheric sounds which intrude in are reproduced and inverted. This is an excellent feature especially when you are travelling through public transportation or walking down the street. When it comes to earphones, the noise cancellation feature is are not as effective as headphones unless you buy any of the high end pieces. But the headphones are far better in cancelling the noises that are constantly playing in the backdrop.
Judging from all these aspects, the headphones tend to be a better purchase than the earphones, and they are also much more comfortable. Still, it boils down to personal preference at the end. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a general physician.

Earphones Vs Headphones - Which Is Better?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Ear Pain online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Ear Pain - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES