![]() It's the biggest health problem for people who fly. Note: Do not dive with earplugs, as this may cause external-ear barotrauma.Ear barotrauma, also known as airplane ear, is that clogged-up, sometimes painful feeling you get in your ears when the air pressure changes quickly. The inability to equalize properly is disqualifying. If you are unable to equalize, then you may consider ENT consultation. Assess why the problem occurred (lack of training, allergy, etc.) and address each factor. If present, strongly discourage your patient from further diving until properly cleared by a specialist.ĭo not dive until swelling and inflammation have resolved, and you can adequately equalize, preferably under otoscopic evaluation. Vertigo, nystagmus and/or hearing loss might be suggestive of inner-ear barotrauma.Use the O’Neill grading system or detail what you observe.If present, consider referring the patient to an ENT specialist.Assess tympanic membrane perforation (this is sometimes difficult to recognize).Although a middle-ear infection is a plausible secondary complication, this is not always the case in the acute phase. Prophylactic antibiotic therapy is controversial.Provide symptomatic treatment (anti-inflammatory drugs, decongestants, mucolytic agents).Any doctor should be able to help, regardless of any dive medicine knowledge or training. If the tympanic membrane is ruptured, this might make things worse. Do not put any drops in your ear canal.This might reduce the swelling of the mucous membranes, which may help to open the Eustachian tubes and drain the fluid from the middle ear. ![]() Use a nasal decongestant spray or drops.Learn and use proper equalization techniques.Refrain from diving when feeling popping or crackling in your ears, or if you have a feeling of fullness in your ears after diving.Eardrum rupture, leading to vertigo and hearing loss.Pain increases with descent during diving.Exposure of the normally sterile middle ear to infection from a mixture of pathogens from the non-sterile contents of the ear canal and surrounding water may result in a middle-ear infection. With further descent, the eardrum may rupture, providing pain relief this rupture may cause vertigo and hearing loss. Further descent only intensifies the ear pain, which is soon followed by a serous fluid buildup and bleeding in the middle ear. Manifestationsĭivers who cannot equalize middle-ear pressure during descent will first feel discomfort in their ears (clogged or stuffed ears) that may progress to severe pain. Poor equalization techniques or too rapid descent may also contribute to the development of MEBT. Often the injury is serious enough that it causes rupture of the eardrum, tympanic membrane rupture or inner ear barotrauma.įactors that can contribute to the development of MEBT include the common cold, allergies or inflammation - conditions that can cause swelling and may block the Eustachian tubes. Eventually the eardrum may rupture this is likely to bring relief from the pain associated with MEBT, but it is an outcome to avoid if possible. At a certain point an active attempt to equalize will be futile, and a forceful Valsalva maneuver may injure the inner ear. It causes tissue to swell, the eardrum to bulge inward, leakage of fluid and bleeding of ruptured vessels. If the pressure in the tympanic cavity is lower than the pressure of the surrounding tissue, this imbalance results in negative pressure (a relative vacuum) in the middle-ear space. Various maneuvers, such as swallowing or yawning, can facilitate the process.Īn obstruction in the Eustachian tube can lead to an inability to achieve equalization, particularly during descent, when the pressure changes quickly. This equalization normally occurs with little or no effort. The Eustachian tube connects the throat with the tympanic cavity and provides passage for gas when pressure equalization is needed. The air pressure in the tympanic cavity - an air-filled space in the middle ear - must be equalized with the pressure of the surrounding environment.
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