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| |    Foreign Objects in the Ear by Jerome O. Klein, M.D. reviewed and revised by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P. and Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. It's an unfortunate fact of life that a variety of objects can (and often do) find their way into the ear canals of infants and young children. Toys, food, paper, beads: Almost anything within reach might end up in the ear canal, placed there by the child or a playmate or sibling. The structure of the canal--wide at the opening, then more narrow and tortuous--makes it easy for small objects that enter to get stuck there. When an object does get stuck, the canal can become inflamed and swollen, or even infected (this is also known as an external ear infection, otitis externa, or swimmer's ear, since it occurs commonly in swimmers). The inflammation makes it all the more difficult to see or remove the object. If the child does not complain, the foreign body may not be detected until he undergoes a routine examination or his ear canal becomes secondarily infected, causing pain and swelling around the ear. In addition to pain (sometimes severe), the skin around the opening of the canal may also appear red and swollen. If the object is near the opening of the canal and within view, you may be able to remove it. Be extremely careful, however, not to use instruments that may lead to further trauma (like crochet hooks). Also be forewarned that well-meaning parents who try to remove a foreign object often end up wedging the object more firmly into the canal, inadvertently making its removal that much more difficult. If your child is in pain and his ear is swollen, or if it's obvious that you won't be able to remove the object easily, contact his healthcare provider. A trained professional's careful evaluation with an otoscope (an instrument for examining the tympanic membrane and external ear canal) will reveal the foreign body more readily and better allow for its safe removal.
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