Foreign body of the ear

Foreign bodies of the ear are most often observed in children, thrusting into the external auditory canal various small objects (paper, fruit bones, peas, sunflower seeds, beads, etc.). In adults, there are pieces of cotton wool, fragments of matches, etc. Different insects (bugs, cockroaches, flies, etc.) can enter the ear.

Symptoms, course. Small foreign bodies with smooth walls in the absence of trauma to the walls of the auditory canal do not cause complaints in patients. Foreign bodies with sharp edges and especially living insects cause unpleasant and sometimes painful sensations, cause pain and noise in the ears.

Treatment. Before removing a foreign body necessarily examine the ear to establish the nature of the foreign body. Insects are usually sacrificed by ingesting 2-3 drops of liquid oil or alcohol into the ear, then remove with tweezers or rinse the external ear canal with warm water from the Janet syringe. A similar method removes other foreign bodies. You can not remove round objects with tweezers, for example beads, as this can lead to pushing them into the deeper parts of the ear canal. Swelling foreign bodies of plant origin (peas, beans) are dehydrated before being removed by repeated infusion into the ear of alcohol. Ear washing is the safest method, however it is contraindicated in perforating the tympanic membrane (to avoid purulent otitis), with foreign bodies completely obturating the bone section of the auditory canal (a jet of water pushes them even deeper). If the washing is ineffective, then the foreign body under the vision control is removed with a small hook.