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EarCheck Middle Ear Monitor is a first-of-its-kind, clinically proven and physician-recommended, home-use device that accurately detects middle ear fluid (otitis media with effusion). Fluid in the middle ear is a key sign of an ear infection, it's pressure helps you identify when a child might have an ear infection, when it's necessary to seek medical attention and when the fluid is going away or gone.
EarCheck provides a quick and painless way to detect one of the key signs of an ear infection early, so you can rapidly determine an appropriate course of action and your child will not suffer needlessly.
The EarCheck Monitor accurately detects the presence of middle ear fluid (i.e. otitis media with effusion) which may be associated with acute ear infection. It is clinically proven to be safe and reliable and provides accurate results in seconds when used according to the User's Manual.
EarCheck Monitor is for home use, but is based on the same patented and proven technology used in doctor's offices since 1997 and it's included in the American Academy of Pediatrics' and American Academy of Family Physicians' Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Acute Otitis Media (middle ear infection).
This technology, acoustic reflectometry (sound waves), detects the probability of middle ear fluid (otitis media with effusion). By placing the tip of this handheld device into the child's outer ear canal and pressing the Scan button, EarCheck sends a pleasant chirping sound into the ear canal. Some of this sound bounces off the eardrum and travels back to the instrument's built-in processor. EarCheck then analyzes the reflected sound to determine if there is fluid in the ear.
The procedure is quick and painless. Within seconds, you will be able to determine if your child has fluid in the middle ear. The EarCheck Monitor displays the results in a way that is easy for you to interpret and can assist you in determining when to seek medical attention. Fluid presence is represented on a 1-5 color scale on an easy-to-read display, where level 1 (Green) indicates Fluid Unlikely and levels 3-5 (Red) indicate a high Likelihood of Fluid and suggest you consult with your child's doctor.
Many children with chronic middle ear fluid have some degree of temporary hearing loss. Fluid may persist in the middle ear for weeks to months after an episode of ear infection. Because your child does not appear to be sick, you may not realize the condition exists. The EarCheck Monitor can be helpful in identifying middle ear fluid that can impair your child's hearing.
The average hearing loss caused by middle ear fluid is similar to having earplugs in a child's ears. Prolonged hearing loss can lead to speech delays, reading delays, and learning disabilities, even after the condition is corrected. Chronic middle ear fluid resulting in hearing loss can have a long-term impact on your child's development.
WHEN TO USE EarCheck
The EarCheck Middle Ear Monitor can be a useful instrument to check your child's ears in a number of situations: If your child is sick, it can help you determine if the symptoms are associated with middle ear fluid.
- Illness - helps determine if the symptoms are associated with middle ear fluid.
- Ear Infection Treatment - monitoring the fluid can help you and your doctor determine whether or not the middle ear fluid is resolving. Although antibiotics can clear up an infection in several days, fluid may remain for weeks, impairing hearing.
- Common Colds - monitors the presence of middle ear fluid, which often follows upper respiratory infections. This will help you and your doctor know if/when an ear infection may be developing.
- Frequent Ear Infections - helps you and your doctor follow the duration of middle ear fluid.
The EarCheck Monitor should NOT be used on children with the following conditions as it may provide an inaccurate reading:
- Under 6 months of age
- Ear tubes (ventilation tubes)
- Water in the outer ear, such as swimmer's ear
- Known perforation or rupture of the eardrum
- Facial or ear deformities
- Visible drainage of pus or blood in the outer ear canal
Click here to Read the User's Manual to familiarize yourself with the EarCheck instrument.
WHAT DOCTORS ARE SAYING ABOUT EarCheck
The EarCheck Middle Ear Monitor is recommended by leading pediatricians, family physicians and healthcare professionals. The patented acoustic reflectometry technology used exclusively by EarCheck, is included in the American Academy of Pediatrics / American Academy of Family Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management and Diagnosis of Acute Otitis Media (middle ear infections).
"Parents have traditionally had difficulty recognizing when their child may have an ear infection because many of its symptoms, like pain and fever, can also be associated with other ailments, such as teething. The EarCheck® Middle Ear Monitor may help parents because it provides information on middle ear fluid, which is often a key sign of ear infection."
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Dr. Jerome T. Combs - Dept. of Pediatrics / Hospital of Saint Raphael
| "I feel that the home device (EarCheck® Middle Ear Monitor) could be extremely useful and cost effective, and may even aid our battle to combat antibiotic over usage."
"The home model (EarCheck® Middle Ear Monitor) should be an important tool for enabling families to monitor MEE status and to make "judicious use of office visits" for minor illnesses. Thus, the EarCheck® System may alleviate family pressure to over prescribe antibiotics and improve overall care for children with middle ear disease."
"The EarCheck® Middle Ear Monitor can be used similarly to monitor for MEE post-therapy after an episode of AOM. A normal or improving reading would convincingly reassure the family and clinician that Eustachian tube function has returned or is returning to normal."
| Stanley Block, MD, FAAP - Physician to Children and Adolescents, Springfield, KY. / Associate Clinical Professor, Univ. of Louisville and Univ of Kentucky. (Quotes from the pamphlet titled "A Physicians Roundtable – introducing the EarCheck System") |
"The EarCheck® Middle Ear Monitor is a fast and easy way for parents to detect middle ear fluid, often associated with acute ear infection. Parents can also monitor progress as the presence of fluid is decreasing and the infection is clearing up."
| Jerome O. Klein, MD, FAAP - Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine |
Why Children Get Ear Infections:
In a healthy child, the middle ear is filled with air. Sound waves enter the ear canal, causing the eardrum to vibrate and allowing the child to hear. If the middle ear is filled with fluid (which doctors call "effusion"), the eardrum's vibrations are restricted. This can result in temporary hearing loss (called conductive hearing loss).
A young child's Eustachian tube is shorter, wider and more horizontal than an adult's. As a result, infected fluids from the back of the nose may reach the middle ear more easily. That is why children are more likely to have middle ear fluid and develop ear infections.
About Ear Infections:
When the middle ear becomes inflamed, the condition is called "otitis media". When the middle ear is infected, the condition is called acute otitis media. Acute otitis media is what we normally think of as an ear infection. It is often accompanied by pain, fever and other symptoms. If you suspect your child has an acute ear infection, you should call your child's physician as soon as possible.
When fluid is present in the middle ear without active infection, the condition is called "otitis media with effusion". Effusion may be a result of a child recovering from an ear infection or may be associated with an oncoming ear infection. Fluid may persist in the middle ear for weeks to months after an episode of acute otitis media.
Although otitis media with effusion does not generally cause symptoms such as pain and fever, it may impair the child's hearing. Since the child does not appear to be sick, you may not realize the condition exists.
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