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Core EM - Emergency Medicine Podcast

Episode 139.0 – Ear Foreign Body Removal

20 snips
Apr 2, 2018
Guest
Andy Little
In this engaging discussion, Andy Little, an emergency physician from Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, shares his expertise on ear foreign body removal. He dives into the importance of this skill and categorizes different types of foreign bodies. Andy describes a vital four-step removal approach and offers tips for handling live insects and challenging cases, like small beads in children. He also recounts some unusual cases, leaving listeners with key takeaways to enhance their emergency management techniques.
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INSIGHT

Low Frequency, High Stakes Procedure

  • Ear foreign bodies are infrequent but require a reliable, repeatable approach when encountered.
  • Preparing a standard setup improves success and reduces complications.
ADVICE

Which Ear Objects To Remove

  • Remove nonorganic items, live insects, impacted cerumen, and food pieces like corn when safe.
  • Treat insects as organic foreign bodies that often need drowning/anaesthesia before extraction.
ADVICE

Call ENT For Batteries And Big Jewelry

  • Avoid removing button batteries and large jewelry without ENT because manipulation can worsen thermal/chemical injury or cause perforation.
  • Urgently involve ENT and inspect for damage even after removal.
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