Brief overview
- What to do in case of a foreign body in the ear? In case of a lard plug, rinse the ear with lukewarm water. Remove water in the ear by bouncing or blow-drying. For all other foreign bodies, see a doctor.
- Foreign body in the ear – risks: including itching, coughing, pain, discharge, possibly bleeding, dizziness, temporarily impaired hearing or hearing loss.
- When to see a doctor? Whenever the foreign body in the ear is neither a lard plug nor water. If first aid cannot remove a plug of lard or water in the ear. If there are signs of infection or injury to the ear.
Caution.
- Do not under any circumstances try to pull the foreign body in the ear out of the ear canal using ear sticks, tweezers or similar. You could push it further into the ear and injure the ear canal and/or eardrum.
- If you have an insect or food debris (such as bread crumbs) in your ear, do not wait to see if it might come out on its own. This increases the risk of infection, which can have serious consequences (up to meningitis)!
Foreign body in the ear: What to do?
Only in certain cases should you independently try to remove a foreign body in the ear – namely in the case of a lard plug or water in the ear:
- Plug from earwax: It can sometimes be rinsed out with lukewarm water. There are also drops in the pharmacy that soften the earwax.
Foreign bodies in the ear: risks
If someone has something in the ear, this can have different consequences or manifest itself in different symptoms:
- itching
- possibly coughing (because the body tries to free itself “explosively” from the foreign body in the ear)
- pain
- Blood leakage from the ear (if the foreign body has injured the ear canal or the eardrum)
- Hearing loss or hearing restriction (usually only temporary until the foreign body is removed)
- possibly foul-smelling discharge
- Infection of the ear canal (ear canal inflammation), if the foreign body has introduced germs or has remained unnoticed in the ear for a long time. As the inflammation progresses, pus may encapsulate (abscess). In addition, the inflammation can spread to the middle ear (middle ear infection).
- Severe vertigo or middle ear infection if the eardrum is damaged during improper removal of the foreign body.
- Rarely: Brain or meningitis (encephalitis or meningitis, respectively) as a serious complication of an infection in the ears
Foreign body in the ear: When to see a doctor?
If a small plug of lard or water in the ear cannot be removed by the first aid measures described above, you should see an ear, nose and throat specialist.
You should also always see an ENT doctor if you experience pain in the ear canal – even if it occurs after the foreign body has been removed. For example, if you get an earache shortly after having water in your ear, an infection caused by germs in the water may be the reason.
If you experience symptoms such as blood or foul-smelling secretions coming out of your ear, severe dizziness, or hearing problems, you should also see your doctor immediately.
Foreign body in the ear: examinations by the doctor
First, the doctor asks the patient or accompanying persons (e.g. parents) what could be stuck in the ear canal, how it probably got there, and what symptoms occur.
After this conversation (anamnesis), the doctor takes a closer look at the inside of the affected ear. For this purpose, he usually uses an ear microscope and/or an ear funnel together with a light source (otoscope). For a better view, he may pull the auricle back a little. The examination shows exactly where the foreign body is located. Injuries as well as an infection as consequences of the penetrated foreign body can also be detected with ear microscopy and otoscopy.
Foreign body in the ear: treatment by the doctor
Depending on what is blocking the ear, the ENT doctor has several options for treatment.
Removal of earwax
Removing water in the ear
The doctor can also suction out water residue from the ear canal.
Removing other foreign bodies
The suction device or a small, blunt hook can also be used to remove many other foreign bodies in the ear. The doctor often takes out objects with edges (such as paper) with a small pair of special forceps called alligator forceps.
If the foreign body is lodged deep in the ear (near the eardrum), surgical removal under light anesthesia may be appropriate. This is especially true in children: Without anesthesia, they might fidget during removal, which could cause the doctor to accidentally injure the eardrum.
If there are insects (e.g., cockroach, spider, or fly) in the ear, the doctor often puts a drug in the ear that kills the little animal. This makes it easier for him to get it out.
If there is pain in the ear, the doctor may put an anesthetic (such as lidocaine) in the ear canal before removing the foreign body.
After removal of the foreign body
After removing the foreign body, the doctor examines the inside of the ear for any injuries. Such can be treated, for example, with an antibiotic ointment. If the foreign body in the ear has caused an infection (e.g., middle ear infection), the doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to take (for example, in tablet form).
Prevent foreign bodies in the ear
- Do not allow young children to play unsupervised with small objects such as paper balls, toy parts, peas, small stones, etc.
- Also, always be present when older children are handling sharp or pointed objects (e.g., knitting needle, scissors). Educate them about the potential dangers of carelessly handling such objects.
- When swimming, special earplugs can prevent water from entering the ear canal.
- Do not clean your own ears or those of your children with cotton swabs. This usually just pushes the earwax backwards to the eardrum, where it can get stuck. In addition, remnants of the absorbent cotton can remain in the ear.
- Particularly in narrow ear canals, a plug of wax can repeatedly form in the ear. Affected people should have their ears cleaned regularly by a doctor.
If you take these tips to heart, you can significantly reduce the risk of a foreign body in the ear.
