Ear emergencies

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Ear anatomy

First aid kit

Foreign object in ear

Foreign object removal

Ruptured eardrum

External and internal ear

Eardrum repair - series

Ear emergencies

Definition:

Ear emergencies include objects stuck in the ear and ruptured eardrums.

See also acoustic trauma.

Considerations:

Children often stick objects into their ears. These objects can be difficult to remove because the ear canal is a tube of solid bone that is lined with thin, sensitive skin. Any object pressing against the skin can be very painful. In many cases, a doctor will need to use special instruments to examine the ear and safely remove the object.

Causes:

text continues below

Pain, hearing loss, dizziness, ringing in the ear, and ruptured eardrums can be caused by:

Inserting cotton swabs, toothpicks, pins, pens, or other objects into the ear.
Sudden changes in pressure, as from an explosion, blow to the head, flying, scuba diving, falling while water skiing, or being slapped on the head or ear.
Loud percussions, such as a gun going off.

References:

Auerbach PS. Wilderness Medicine. 4^th Ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2001:468-470.

DeLee JC, Drez, Jr., D, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez?s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2^nd Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2003:758.