Aural search & rescue: Techniques for ear foreign body removal in the emergency department

Sixty-five different types of EFBs were identified, typically located in the right ear (56.3%), with a mean duration of insertion at 19.0 ± 8.6 h. Elderly and adult patients often presented with a piece of a hearing aid or an ear bud/plug, an insect or cotton swab that had become lodged in their ear...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of emergency medicine 2024-01, Vol.75, p.167-168
Main Authors: Hudock, S, Hysell, M, Luna, M, Dixon, E, Mangione, M, Holsinger, H, Zamarripa, A, Benner, C, Ouellette, L, Jones, J S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anesthesia
Ear
Ear - surgery
Ear canal
Ears & hearing
Emergency medical care
Emergency Service, Hospital
Foreign bodies
Foreign Bodies - diagnostic imaging
Foreign Bodies - surgery
Humans
Instrumentation
Otolaryngology
Patients
Retrospective Studies
Risk factors
Search and rescue
Success
Suctioning
Writing
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Description
Summary:Sixty-five different types of EFBs were identified, typically located in the right ear (56.3%), with a mean duration of insertion at 19.0 ± 8.6 h. Elderly and adult patients often presented with a piece of a hearing aid or an ear bud/plug, an insect or cotton swab that had become lodged in their ear canal. First-attempt success rates varied based on the technique utilized and were documented in Table 1. Risk factors that indicated difficult removal were young age, round objects, EFBs deep within the auditory canal (not visible without direct instrumentation), trauma during attempted removal, the degree of ear canal obstruction, multiple removal attempts, button batteries, and objects in the ear canal for >24 h. The interrater reliability was excellent with a median kappa of 0.87.
ISSN:0735-6757
1532-8171
DOI:10.1016/j.ajem.2023.10.048