eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Ear, Nose, & Throat
Foreign Bodies, Ear
Updated: Jul 1, 2009
Introduction
Foreign bodies of the ear are relatively common in emergency medicine. They are seen most often but not exclusively in children.
Various objects may be found, including toys, beads, stones, folded paper, and biologic materials such as insects or seeds.
Clinical
History
- Most adults are able to tell the examiner that there is something in their ear, but this is not always true. For example, an older adult with a hearing aid may lose a button battery or hearing aid in their canal and not realize it.
- Children, depending on age, may be able to indicate that they have a foreign body, or they may present with complaints of ear pain or discharge.
- Patients may be in significant discomfort and complain of nausea or vomiting if a live insect is in the ear canal.
- Patients may present with hearing loss or sense of fullness.
Physical
The physical examination is the main diagnostic tool.
- Physical findings vary according to object and length of time it has been in the ear.
- An inanimate object that has been in the ear a very short time typically presents with no abnormal finding other than the object itself seen on direct visualization or otoscopic examination.
- Pain or bleeding may occur with objects that abrade the ear canal or rupture the tympanic membrane or from the patient's attempts to remove the object.
- Hearing loss may be noted.
- With delayed presentation, erythema and swelling of the canal and a foul-smelling discharge may be present.
- Insects may injure the canal or tympanic membrane by scratching or stinging.
Causes
- A patient, caretaker, or sibling intentionally places an object in the ear canal and is unable to remove it.
- Insects may crawl or fly into the ear.
Differential Diagnosis
Abrasions to ear canal
Hematoma
Tumor
Tympanic membrane perforation
Workup
No specific laboratory or radiologic studies are recommended. The physical examination is the main diagnostic tool.
Use an otoscope while retracting the pinna in a posterosuperior direction. A head mirror with a strong light source, operating otoscope, or operating microscope also may be used. Refractory objects may require extraction by an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist.
Treatment
Prehospital care
No specific prehospital treatment exists other than transport to a hospital. Occasionally, treating significant pain or nausea may be necessary.
Emergency department care
Patients in extreme distress secondary to an insect in the ear require prompt attention. The insect should be killed prior to removal, using mineral oil or lidocaine (2%). EMLA cream has also been reported as being effective to kill the insect as well as provide local anaesthesia.1
- Methods of removal
- Irrigation is the simplest method of foreign body removal, provided the tympanic membrane is not perforated.2 An electric ear syringe, available in some areas, may be very helpful for irrigation.3 Use of the commercial product Waterpik is not recommended because the high pressure it generates may perforate the tympanic membrane. Irrigation with water is contraindicated for soft objects, organic matter, or seeds, which may swell if exposed to water.
- Suction is sometimes a useful means of foreign body removal.2 Suction the ear with a small catheter held in contact with the object. Grasp the object with alligator forceps. Place a right-angled hook behind the object and pull it out. Form a hook with a 25-gauge needle to snag and remove a large, soft object such as a pencil eraser.
- Avoid any interventions that push the object in deeper.
- The physician may need to sedate the patient to attempt removal of the object. Use mild sedation following a procedural sedation protocol.
- See Foreign Body Removal, Ear for more information.
- Special instances
- Cyanoacrylate adhesives (eg, Superglue) may be removed manually within 24-48 hours once desquamation occurs. If adhesive touches the tympanic membrane, remove it carefully, and refer the patient to an ENT specialist.
- Remove batteries immediately to prevent corrosion or burns. Do not crush battery during removal.
Consultations
Consult an ENT specialist if the object cannot be removed or if tympanic membrane perforation is suspected.
Patient education
For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Ear, Nose, and Throat Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education article Foreign Body, Ear.
Medications
After the foreign body is removed, inspect the external canal. For most foreign bodies, no medications are needed. However, if infection or abrasion is evident, fill the ear canal 5 times/day for 5-7 days with a combination antibiotic and steroid otic suspension (eg, Cortisporin or Cipro HC).
Miscellaneous
Medicolegal pitfalls
- Failure to consider diagnosis when typical history is not given (eg, older patients)
- Failure to prevent further damage when attempting to remove the object, especially when the object is next to the tympanic membrane
- Failure to diagnose serious damage to ossicles, retained middle ear foreign body, or perilymphatic leak
- Failure to diagnose bilateral foreign bodies
- Failure to provide appropriate follow-up for people with chronic ear problems
Keywords
foreign objects in the ear, object in ear canal, object in ear, ear pain, hearing loss, tympanic membrane perforation, ear problems, ear foreign body, otalgia, insect in ear, bug in ear
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References
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Further Reading
Keywords
foreign objects in the ear, object in ear canal, object in ear, ear pain, hearing loss, tympanic membrane perforation, ear problems, ear foreign body, otalgia, insect in ear, bug in ear
