Nine-Year-Old With Ear Infection: Signs and Symptoms - Essay Sample

Introduction

Ear infection, also known as acute otitis media, is a disease which affects the middle ear. That is the behind the eardrum in the air-filled space which poses the tiny vibrating bones of the ear. The infection mostly affects children (Burns, 2017). In our clinic, there is a case of children of nine-years who came with the same problem. Thorough inspection and observations, it was observed and noted that the kid had the following signs and symptom.

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It was discovered that the child experienced ear pain whenever he was laid down. At times the kids cried severely when he was laid down with complain of having the pain from the ear. This made him remain seated or standing for long times to avoid the pain he experienced while laying. Also, most of the time, the child tugged the ear. He had restless times where a lot of concentration was focused on the ear. He spent most of the time pulling at the affected ear, which caused some damages which included wounds. The situation was worse where it was proved that the child hard had time to sleep. The child said that he had trouble during sleep because he experienced pain whenever he lay down. This made him have sleepless nights.

Also, it was observed that the child cried more than usual. From the moment he entered the clinic, almost more than three-quarters of the time spent, he was crying. On the other hand, when the kid was asked about something at some points he did not hear clearly, repetition on asking was vital. The child had problems in understanding and answering. More so, the kid experienced loss of body balance. He walked and stood while bending on the side of the affected ear. There was an emission of fluid from the affected ear also. On the side of the fever, the patient had a high temperature. Loss of appetite was also evident where the kid was not willing to consume food as usual. The kid also complained about a headache.

The screening was conducted to observe the affected parts in the ear too. Myringotomy was conducted after screening to drain the fluid which was pus in the ear. A small hole was made in the eardrum to facilitate the drainage of the fluid. The tube was inserted of which it was not removed for it comes out on its own after some time (Moualed, 2016). The procedure took fifteen minutes.

It is also preferred to carry out the practice of reducing the otitis at home through natural remedies. It was advised that parents of the kid use a heated compress to offer comfort to the kid. While feeding the child with a bottle, it should be done while standing. It was not allowed to feed the kid while sleeping. Positioning and holding the head of the child erect could help in draining the middle ear (Burns, 2017).

In such cases, when there is inflammation of the tympanic membrane, an immediate antibiotic is required (Venekamp, 2015). Symptomatic treatment is preferred to kid with high fever low immunity and other risk factors. When the condition doesn't improve, then antibiotic therapy is prescribed. Amoxicillin is used in this case. Parents were advised to watch on the condition of the child. The child was supposed to start getting well after some few days. If not, the parents were advised to conduct the doctor again.

References

Burns, C., Dunn, A., Brady, m., Starr, N., Blosser, C., & Garzon, D. (2017). Pediatric Primary Care. St. Luis(6)

Moualed, D., Masterson, L., Kumar, S., & Donnelley, N. (2016). Water precautions for prevention of infection in children with ventilation tubes (grommets). Cochrane Database of Systemic Review (1).Retrieved from https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010375.pub2/abstract

Venekamp, R.P., Sanders, S.L., Glasziou, P.P., Del Mar, C.B., & Rovers, M.M. (2015). Antibiotics for acute otitis media in children. Cochrane database of the systematic review, (6). Retrieved from https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000219.pub4/abstract