Swimmer's Ear

Hi, again. Toledo has finally warmed up enough to have kids hit the swimming pools, and with that we're seeing an increase in the number of otitis externa, or "swimmer's ear", cases.

We think of ear curettage as used mostly for removing stubborn, hard wax that obstructs the ear canal. But don't forget its usefulness in the diagnosis and treatment of swimmer's ear. Most experts agree that its important to remove the pus and debris in the affected ear canal to allow antibiotic ear drops to reach the infection site. For this, I find the FlexLoop and VersaLoop Safe Ear Curettes very effective. They seem to grab that gooey mess to let me drag it out of the canal, and their flexibility allows me to be extra gentle when curetting in a tender, infected ear canal.

Once I've cleared the bulk of the purulent drainage I have the choice of inserting an ear wick, or just administering antibiotic drops. Either way, I know that the drops are reaching the site of the infection instead of just sitting on top of the pus.

Let me know if you have experiences with curettage and otitis externa, or any other interesting cases you run into.

Dr. Huttner