what are ear tubes, and what do they do?
Ear tubes are small tubes made out of plastic or metal that are placed into the ear drum to ventilate the middle ear. The middle is that part of the ear between the ear drum and the hard bone surrounding the inner ear. The middle ear is, under normal circumstances, filled with air at the same pressure as the surrounding atmosphere. The pressure is maintained at this normal level by a natural tube called the Eustachian tube. When pressure gets greater or less in the middle ear (for example, when changing altitudes in a plane) the Eustachian tube opens, causing the ears to “pop” and the pressure to equalize. The Eustachian tube also opens during swallowing, chewing, or other jaw movement without producing the pronounced popping sensation. If the Eustachian tube is not functioning properly, it will not open. This causes the pressure in the middle ear to drop. High negative pressure in the middle ear will draw fluid out from the surrounding tissue and cause fluid to accumulate in the middl
