How to handle when insects get into their ears

Get small warm or oxygen-rich warm water for insects to come out or die and then go to a medical facility. Home self-management usually only partially obtains a part of the object that leads to complications.

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh, Chengdu University of Otolaryngology Department, said that insects that get into the ears often happen when you are sleeping, both in bed or lying down on the ground. This accident is mainly in the countryside or wherever there are many insects such as gardens, fields ., poor hygiene places, many furniture .

According to Dr. Minh, common symptoms are sudden severe pain in one ear (previously there was no ear related disease). There may be intense pain alternating with the latent period. The cause is an insect sting or pronged leg stabbing into the ear. Many people feel like having something crawling in their ears, itching. Young children are crying and crying.

Some people suffer from watery or insect-induced bleeding, tearing of the ear canal skin, tearing of the eardrum, especially insects that are larger or sharper like crickets, cockroaches and locusts. Mild cases or small objects such as ants, flies, cremation, dog bites . symptoms may not be rushing by large or barbed-like objects or venom like bees .

When insects crawl in the ear canal, we only feel tickled, uncomfortable, itchy. When an insect causes an ear canal or eardrum, it will cause pain. The level of pain varies from person to person, some people may faint, some feel uncomfortable and depending on the degree of injury.

Artwork: MH

Note when handling insects that get into their ears

Dr. Minh said, there are cases where patients self-treat at home or in non-specialized clinics, only get part of the insect, sometimes making cockroaches or crickets scratching cause severe pain. Most often leave the rest as insects' heads, legs or wings because they get too deep, or cause pain that the patient cannot tolerate.

If subjective patients do not examine the specialist to remove insects, there may be many sequelae and dangerous complications such as fever due to infection, external ear infections, acute otitis media, permanent atrial perforation, hearing loss. force or deafness . In the case of a distant home, it is best to take small warm or oxygen-rich water filled with the ear for the insect to come out or die choking and then go to the Ear-Nose-Throat specialist.

Management of ENT specialty

Large medical facilities and hospitals have enough specialists and equipment to handle cases of foreign objects coming into their ears. Dead insects are simpler than taking out with specialized tools such as clamps, hooks . If the insect is alive, the doctor will make the insect die quickly with drugs such as anesthesia, small old oxygen water into the ear, ear drops such as otipax, polydexa, glycerin oil, povidine solution .

Some children panic, agitated, the doctor will induce a mild anesthesia or anesthesia to help the baby sleep during the procedure of taking out the insect. Do not cause more dangerous trauma due to trying to get in a struggling baby situation. Many cases have caused unfortunate complications such as deafness, eardrum tearing caused by inexperienced family members or health workers.

With large insects, it is often advisable to die before being removed to avoid further injury to the ear canal and eardrum. Small insects are easy to take out, such as smoking, washing with warm water or physiological saline, or with specialized drugs such as audiclean . After removing insects, it is necessary to wash ears and ear drops a few days later to Avoid infection, fungal infection.

There are many effective folk methods with small insects such as ants, for example pounding leaves, green onions and squeezing water; squeeze small live ginger juice into the ear; Smoked into the ear for insects to come out. However, improper folk remedies can cause complications or leave permanent sequelae to the ear.

Analysis of the method of pouring honey into the ears that some people share, Dr. Truong Hoang Hai Dang said, honey when pouring into the ear will be very difficult to wash, depositing in the ears to attract cows to be more dangerous . Non-pure honey can cause ear infections.

"The light shining method on the ear can be applied because most insects that encounter light will light up, automatically crawl out , " Dr. Dang said.

According to Dr. Dang, the first thing when insects get into their ears is to reassure patients . If panic occurs when an incident happens, it will instinctively cause the insect to get deeper. Then gently pull the earlobe up, tilting the insect's ear to follow upwards so that the insect crawls out. If it is tilted down, the insect that senses downward gravity will crawl back up, deep inside.

Dr. Dang also recommends pouring warm water or cooking oil into the ear until the insect dies, no more wiggling and tilting back to let the water flow out. If you see some insects wading through the water outside the ear, use a gentle grip. If it is impossible to remove it, it is advisable to see a specialist, and there should be no further intervention to cause damage to the ear. In addition, there are alarming symptoms such as severe ear pain, itchy body rash, allergy rash, bleeding . then you must go to a medical facility immediately to be treated promptly.

Several measures to prevent insects from entering the ears

- Should sleep in bed, do not sleep on the ground.

- Do not eat or drink so food spills on the bed, sleeping mattresses.

- For babies, young children, must be cleaned after feeding, change clothes, change gas, pillow when getting milk to avoid the temptation to come.

- Cleaning the house clean and airy to limit the insects hiding in the house.