Posted on 04/28/2011 3:07:30 PM PDT by decimon
DETROIT – A study by Henry Ford Hospital shows a direct association between cotton swab use and ruptured eardrum.
The study also shows that in most cases the rupture heals on its own and surgery is only necessary for the most severe cases.
"In the past, many otolaryngologists have wondered if surgery is really necessary to treat a ruptured eardrum. The results of this study show that 97 percent of cases healed on their own within two months, proving that most cases do not require surgery," says Ilaaf Darrat, M.D., an otolaryngologist at Henry Ford Hospital and co-author of the study.
The study is being presented April 29 at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meeting in Chicago.
More than half of patients seen in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) clinics, regardless of their primary complaint, admit to using cotton swabs to clean their ears. But if the cotton swab is pushed too far in the ear canal, it can cause serious damage, including ruptured eardrum, also known as tympanic membrane perforations (TMP).
Severe TMP can cause facial paralysis and vertigo.
"If a patient is experiencing symptoms such as hearing loss, drainage, dizziness or abnormality in their facial movements they should see a doctor immediately to assess the possible ear damage," says Dr. Darrat.
Study co-author Michael Seidman, M.D., FACS, director of the division of otologic and neurotologic surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, recommends instead of cotton swabs, using these alternatives to clean the inner ear.
Take cool peroxide, hot tap water and mix equally. Be sure it is body temperature and gently irrigate the ear one or two times per month.
Take plain vinegar and water and use four or five drops in the ear once a week.
See a doctor, who can remove ear wax for you.
Try an over-the-counter treatment such as Debrox.
The Henry Ford study included 1,540 patients with a diagnosis of TMP from 2001-2010. Patients with a cotton swab injury were subdivided into two groups: observation and surgery. Successful outcomes were defined as healed TMP, resolution or improvement of vertigo, tinnitus or facial nerve paralysis, and/or closure of the air-bone gap.
A ruptured eardrum can be treated in one of two ways, depending on the severity of the symptoms. The most common method of treatment is observation of the perforation by an otolaryngologist because often times the eardrum will heal on its own within two months. More severe cases are treated with surgery.
While the study found that most cases or ruptured eardrum heal on their own, neurological deficits, such as facial nerve paralysis, require surgical intervention to repair the eardrum.
Surgical intervention proved very successful, with only one patient suffering mild, but improved vertigo.
Dr. Darrat and her colleagues concluded that proper follow-up with a doctor to test hearing after a case of ruptured eardrum is healed is essential to ensure that no hearing loss was caused from the injury.
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The study was funded by Henry Ford Hospital.
Ping
What??
How are we supposed the beans that our mothers warned us about? :^)
We need the picture of Zero with the handkerchief in both ears scrubbing his tiny brain!
I would get ear infections if I didn’t twirl a cotton swab deep in the ears to soak up moisture after showering.
You use a vacuum cleaner hose. Same way you get watermelon seeds out!
By doing that you’re damaging your hearing in the long run by damaging the cilia in the ear canal.
Well goodness, you are not supposed to jam then all the way down in there as hard as you can! OK, here’s an idea. Idiots should not clean out their own ears...
I wish that there were improvements in dealing with tinnitus. To hear a ding-ding-ding constantly is nerve-whacking.
And the cost of that study was how much? Doctors have been warning against Q-tips for at least 30 years........
For some reason it seems humorous to me that you’re giving ear advice when your nickname is buck an ear! :)
Here is an idea, don’t punch through your eardrum with Q Tips.
“But if the cotton swab is pushed too far in the ear canal, it can cause serious damage, including ruptured eardrum, also known as tympanic membrane perforations (TMP).”
Well duh! What are these people doing, driving the swab in with a hammer? Human stupidity never ceases to amaze me. I’ve seen no less than three people over the years at work go to the hospital after pushing an ear plug into the ear canal.
Hilarious... just one of the things idiots should not do.
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