Injury of the auricles is one of the most common injuries that an average person faces. Dangerous factors of the outside world, domestic violence in families, high-tech production, which is accompanied by the presence of complex apparatuses and machines - all this can lead to injuries to the ears, which are sometimes a different degree of danger to humans.
External ear injury from
stroke Otolaryngology excludes injuries to the external ear, as most common. This is directly related not only to the vulnerability of the auricles, but also to the disadvantageous anatomical location of the ear, which makes it most vulnerable to damage.
Damage can be of a very different nature, starting with a trivial bruise caused by a hand stroke in the boxers, and ending with a serious chemical burn, which often leads to damage to several parts of the ear or ear lobes.
Ear trauma can be the result of a serious head injury, fracture of the jaw, unsuccessful fall, blow to the head, trauma to the vertebral column.
Reasons for
According to statistics, ear traumas are considered the most diverse in terms of their appearance in humans. Damage can be so severe that it will be able to cause disturbances in the middle and inner ear.
Damage to the inner ear is a fracture of the base of the skull, which is treated with a purely operative method and is far from always with human hearing loss.
In medicine, the following categories of ear injuries are distinguished:
- burns( steam, fire, water, incandescent objects);
- frostbite;
- burns( exposure to acids, alkalis, chemical elements, industrial mixtures);
- shock( falling, beating, damage to household objects, damage during production);
- animal bite;
- insect bite;
- fragmentation wound;
- gunshot damage;
- wound;
- injury;
- unsuccessful cosmetic procedures.
The nature of the ear damage will depend directly on the intensity of the injury. In total, there are two types of trauma, deep and superficial. With a superficial type of injury, the patient is not assigned specific procedures.
Pain sensations pass without providing additional medical care. In some cases, dressings, lotions and ointments are required, which will speed up the healing of wounds. It will not be superfluous to visit a doctor who will observe the patient until he is fully recovered.
Symptoms of
Each type of ear trauma is accompanied by a list of symptoms. Based on them, you can soberly assess the extent of damage and actions that may be needed to provide the first emergency assistance to the victim.
- open wound of the ear - the presence of blood, an obvious deformation of the auricle, hearing impairment or complete absence, acute pain.
- burn - the presence of redness, the appearance of vesicles, blisters, the absence of skin in some areas, severe pain.
- frostbite - pallor of the skin, which after a while gives way to an obvious redness.
- burns with chemical solutions - clear foci of lesions, redness, itching, painful sensations when touching.
- bruise - no open wound, redness, the presence of edema, possibly the appearance of bruising, dull pain when touching.
- insect bite - redness, swelling, presence of blisters, itching, swelling of the auricle.
Each of the symptoms is always accompanied by discomfort in the auricle and partial deterioration of the hearing. Also, pain may be absent in the presence of pain shock, if the trauma was obtained by impact, fall or attack of the beast.
If, in addition to an external ear injury, the middle or inner part of the victim has been injured, additional symptoms may appear. They include dizziness, nausea, weakness, tinnitus, pain in the temple .
In some cases, bleeding may occur, which directly indicates a trauma to the tympanic septum.
First aid
First aid for ear trauma does not represent any complicated manipulation. It should be remembered that, in the event, one should not panic. Collection and gradual action will help avoid complications and soon completely forget about what happened.
So, when getting small injuries in the form of scratches, wounds, bites, you should treat the damaged area with hydrogen peroxide, iodine. In the absence of any medication, a medical alcohol is also suitable. Further, the wound should be protected from any possible ingress of dust and dirt.
You can make a small bandage of clean gauze or fabric, after fixing it, you should immediately go to the nearest trauma clinic or clinic. Provide the victim with water.
In the case of more serious injuries, such as a rupture of the auricle or its rupture, similar actions are performed as in the first case. The victim must be urgently delivered to the doctor to prevent the possibility of infection.
If the ear has been torn off, then within 10 hours the organ can safely sew back. In this case, it will be sufficient to mark the organ in a clean cloth and cover it with ice, take it to the doctor along with the patient.
Such amateur assistance can lead to a serious consequence, which at best will lead to some deterioration of hearing and a change in the appearance of the auricle.
The ENT and the surgeon will help in providing full-fledged assistance in the resulting injury. For more in-depth diagnostics, in addition to anamnesis, the doctor can perform otoscopy, otomicroscopy. These procedures are necessary to detect injuries of the middle and inner ear.
Treatment and procedures
Treatment for each type of injury is assigned individually. Self-medication and self-diagnosis should be avoided, since such help will do more harm than good.
Thus, treatment may include the following list of procedures for different types of ear damage:
- minor lesions are treated quite easily. It will be sufficient to produce some simple procedures that involve simple treatment with healing ointments, iodine or hydrogen peroxide, and the application of a bandage.
- , in the presence of more serious wounds, characterized by blood and syphonic discharge, it is necessary to prescribe a course of antibiotics. This is done when an inflammatory process is detected.
- with a hematoma, the ear is opened and cleaned to prevent the development of infection. On the wound after cleaning, a sterile bandage is applied.
- During deformation and rupture of the ear cartilages, cosmetic surgical procedures are performed to restore them.
- in case of damage to the tympanic membrane, namely the injury of the middle ear, the patient is prescribed antibiotic therapy, the necessary treatment of the wounded ear and auditory canal is performed. Such injuries are treated by using tampons with solutions of antiseptics.
- when a patient's inner ear is damaged, a number of examinations are conducted, under the supervision of a surgeon, a neurologist and an ENT.If the condition is satisfactory and there are no serious injuries, the wound is treated, drained, and sterile bandage applied. If necessary, an operation is performed in which all kinds of extraneous objects are removed and the anatomical integrity of the ear is restored.
For a certain period of time, the victim needs proper care. It includes a change of dressings, periodic treatment of wounds, as well as a full rest and nutrition.
After the appointed time, the patient must undergo an examination that will demonstrate the progress of wound healing and allow discharge.
What are the ear injuries look in our video:
Consequences, complications of
The most common complications due to not rendering the necessary help to the victim are:
- inflammation;
- tissue necrosis;
- complications of the intracranial department;
- suppuration;
- lesion of the facial nerve;
- partial hearing loss;
- complete hearing loss;
- appearance of purulent otitis.
To prevent the development of such complications is much easier than to further treat them. Therefore, should take all possible measures to eliminate the symptoms when receiving one of the possible injuries of the ears, namely, to provide first aid and to deliver the victim to the doctor.