Management of the Patient with Otitis Externa

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Applied Evidence

Management of the Patient with Otitis Externa

J Fam Pract. 2001 April;50(4):353,357-358

References

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Physicians should treat patients with one of the following regimens for at least 4 days:

ear cleaning + ear wick + acidifying agent dosed 4 times daily
ear cleaning + ear wick + topical antibiotic dosed 4 times daily (twice daily if quinolone)
ear cleaning + ear wick + topical antibiotic/steroid combination dosed 4 times daily (twice daily if quinolone)

The ear is best cleaned by simply irrigating the canal. Be sure to look for a foreign body, particularly in younger patients. For a wick, use either the Pope ear wick (Merocel Corporation, Mystic, Conn) or a fourth-inch sterile gauze. The wick helps draw topical medications into the affected canal, particularly when it is obstructed. The patient should return in approximately 2 days for removal of the wick and reassessment. Do not forget analgesics; this is a painful condition.

Necrotizing Otitis Externa

The treatment for NOE must be aggressive. As the infection invades through the soft tissues into surrounding bony structures, it can be life threatening.¹⁰ The evidence for various treatments is presented in Table 3. The studies are weaker than those for treatment of otitis externa (grade of recommendations: B and C). They support twice daily dosing with oral ofloxacin 400 mg orally twice daily or ciprofloxacin 750 mg orally twice daily for up to 3 months.^31-33 There is weak evidence that hyperbaric oxygen is effective.³⁴ Intravenous anti-Pseudomonal antibiotics are often used initially, based on expert opinion (grade: D) and the high mortality rate.

The oral fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin) show promise for treating NOE. The choice of parenteral or oral antibiotics still rests with clinician judgment, based on the patient’s clinical presentation. If oral antibiotics are started, the length of treatment should be based on the severity of illness.

Prognosis

The prognosis for cure of OE is excellent, although the actual natural history of untreated disease has not been studied. OE complicated by NEO is more common in persons with diabetes who have a persistent course and granulation tissue visualized in the external auditory canal. Untreated NEO can lead to osteomyelitis and paralysis of cranial nerves. Death can result from sepsis and central nervous system infection.