The eardrum is located between the outer passage of the ear and its middle passage. It is a membrane that perceives an audio signal before anyone else. It is also worth knowing that the eardrum is sensitive to pressure drops, both to its increase and to decrease.
The auditory tube ensures the integrity of the eardrum. It looks like a canal that connects the middle ear and nose. The auditory tube also connects to the environment. Due to this structure of organs, pressure is distributed on the eardrum. Pressure is equalized from the external passage and from the middle ear. In this way, the eardrum is kept intact.
In the event of a sharp change in pressure on the membrane, it can be injured. Injury to her is called "ear barotrauma." Also, such a problem can occur due to a violation of the patency of the auditory tube.
Why is happening
As mentioned above, ear barotrauma occurs due to the fact that there is a sharp pressure on the membrane. A sharp jump in pressure can occur for the following reasons:
- Diving into water, or, conversely, diving.
- Swift climb. Ear barotrauma often occurs in pilots and astronauts.
- Depressurization at height also leads to membrane damage.
- Shock wave from any explosion. For example, in the event of hostilities.
- Mistakes of doctors that occur during examination or treatment of the ear. For example, with pneumatic massage.
- Often, damage to the eardrum occurs due to ailments such as otitis media, rhinitis, adenoids, swelling and hypertrophy of the mucous membrane of the auditory tube. If for some reason the auditory tube does not function properly, namely, its patency is impeded, then an ear barotrauma occurs, the symptoms of which will be discussed below.
What begins to bother a person with such an ailment? Signs
When barotrauma occurs, a person feels a severe blow to the head or ear. Further in the ear there is noise or crackling, and the level of hearing is also reduced. The general condition of the patient is deteriorating.
With barotrauma with a slight tear of the membrane, a person may not feel any symptoms. But after a certain period of time, the patient develops otitis media. It occurs due to the fact that an infection gets into the place of damage.
If barotrauma is severe, then a person feels hearing loss. Bleeding may also begin, dizziness will appear. A person can begin to disorient in space, there is a probability of loss of consciousness.
How is diagnosed
If a person is conscious, then he will find out what could cause the occurrence of barotrauma. Namely, what circumstances could cause a pressure surge. If the patient does not have bleeding from the external ear canal, then procedures such as otoscopy or microotoscopy are prescribed. During these procedures, the doctor carefully looks at the condition of the eardrum. If the patient has a barotrauma of the middle ear, then hemorrhages and tears are visible in the membrane. The latter can be single or multiple. There are cases when only the inside of the tympanic membrane is torn, then it becomes blue. This is evident when conducting otoscopy. The blue color of the membrane means that the middle ear is filled with blood.
Audiometry
In order to determine whether the patient has a hearing impairment or not, he is given a type of examination such as audiometry.
In the case when the patient is unconscious and the ear is bleeding, the diagnosis becomes clear. This is a severe form of barotrauma. In this case, any examination is contraindicated until the moment when resuscitation measures are carried out.
Further, in order to exclude or confirm other injuries of the ear, brain and other organs, such types of examinations as ultrasound, X-ray or MRI are done.
Barotrauma of the ear. Treatment
If barotrauma is mild, then the patient is prescribed sedatives, sedatives, and physiotherapy.
If a person has a rupture of the eardrum, then there is a risk of infection. Therefore, the patient's treatment regimen will be aimed at preventive actions against the occurrence of otitis media. A person is prescribed treatment of the upper ear and tampons, which are wetted in a solution of a drug containing an antibiotic. A sterile dressing is applied on top of the swab. In addition, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and sedative drugs are prescribed to the person.
There are cases when the eardrum is so damaged that the above treatment methods will not be able to contribute to its restoration. In this case, the patient will be prescribed surgery. A surgical treatment using plastic surgery will help repair a damaged membrane.
What preventive measures can prevent this problem?
There are a number of preventive measures that can ensure the safety of the eardrum.
- When flying during take-off and landing, it is recommended to dissolve sweets, chew gum. Also, swallowing provides better patency of the auditory tube.
- Also, during the landing and take-off of the aircraft, it is recommended to keep your mouth open. This will balance pressure. The same method should be used when riding rides, where there is a sharp rise and release of a person.
- When diving to a depth, you should remember and follow the safety rules.
- If a person has rhinitis or otitis media in the ear, it is necessary to implement measures that will contribute to the recovery of the person. It is also recommended to avoid situations with pressure drops during the course of the above diseases.
First aid
What to do if a person has a barotrauma of the ear and paranasal nasal cavities? What help should I give in the case when there is an immersion in water and a person has uncomfortable sensations in the ear, namely, his stuffiness occurs? You should suspend the descent, climb one or two meters. Next, weaken the pressure. If you manage to get rid of nasal congestion, you can continue the dive. In the case when uncomfortable sensations continue to be present, it is necessary to stop the process of immersion to a depth.
When a person has signs of rupture of the eardrum (these include pain, bleeding and hearing loss), the patient needs to make a bandage. In no case should he blow his nose. Next, the patient should be referred to a medical facility. There, a doctor will examine him, make the necessary examination and prescribe a course of treatment. The course of treatment will depend on the severity of the injury.
You should be aware that even with minor damage to the eardrum, procedures such as visiting the bath, rinsing the upper ear, and blowing off the ear tube are not allowed. These rules should be followed during the first two days after the incident. If recreational activities have the desired effect, then in a couple of weeks the body will fully recover. There will be no hearing loss either.
Effects
If a person has barotrauma of the ear, what consequences can there be? Now let's figure it out. If a person does not treat barotrauma and does not take any measures to improve the body, complications may appear. As a rule, an inflammatory process occurs, which turns into otitis media.
A disease such as barotitis can also occur. With this ailment, fluid accumulates in the ear. This condition leads to the presence of constant noise in the ear. Also, a person loses hearing and there is a feeling of fullness of the ear with water. Barotitis treatment is similar to barotrauma treatment. With such a disease, a person can not blow his nose, since this process causes pressure on the ear. It is also not recommended to make sudden movements. The fact is that blowing and sudden movements can lead to infection in the middle ear.
Barotrauma of ear from impact
There are mechanical damage to the ears. These include a bruise, bite, or injury. If we talk about injuring the eardrum, they can occur due to several reasons. For example, direct damage to the eardrum may occur.
As a rule, it occurs when cleaning the ear with a cotton swab and a random push. In addition, there are cases when the eardrum can be damaged due to accidental touching of the branches when walking or running. It can also occur when a person tries to remove a foreign body from the ear. Also, such an injury as a longitudinal fracture of the temporal part leads to rupture of the eardrum.
Home treatment
What can be done to a person who has an ear barotrauma? What can be done at home?
You should be aware that you must first assess the severity of such an injury. If the ear barotrauma is severe, then you should not self-medicate. Then you need to contact a medical institution for professional assistance.
There are also several popular ways to treat the ear. In order to cope with pain in the ear, you can use propolis tincture. It is made on an oil-alcohol basis.
Another folk remedy is onion. A deepening is made in the onion and the caraway seeds are filled, on top the onion is closed with a crumb of bread. Next, the onion is baked. After that, juice is squeezed out of it, with which the ear is buried.