Ear canal foreign bodies in a single institution's emergency department

Abstract

"Ear Canal Foreign Bodies (ECFB) are common presenting complaint to emergency departments, accounting for 0.05% of all emergency department visits, averaging 35.3 Ear Canal foreign bodies annually at the University of Missouri. ECFB are often superficial in the lateral 1/3 of external auditory canal (EAC), require non-urgent intervention, and are removed by primary care providers or emergency personnel. According to literature, when divided into "graspable" and "nongraspable" in children, success and complication rates of 64% and 14%, and 45% and 70%, respectively, have been reported. To better understand our institution's management of ECFB, we are asking -in a tertiary referral center, does foreign body removal success rate vary based on provider training level? Secondary hypothesis include whether or not the rate of initial removal success varies between younger pediatric vs. older pediatric and adult patients?"--Introduction.