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Ear injuries from cotton swabs continue among children despite warnings
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Despite manufacturers’ warnings against using cotton-tipped applicators to clean the inside of the ear, foreign body and tympanic membrane perforation diagnoses continue to occur in children, especially when they use the products on their own, according to research published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
“Otolaryngologists do not recommend using applicators in the ear canal because of the risk of injury,” Kris R. Jatana, MD, from the department of pediatric otolaryngology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and associate professor in the department of otolaryngology at The Ohio State University, and colleagues wrote. “[Furthermore,] Several commercially available brands of applicators state on their packaging that they are not to be used in the ear or by children.”
For researchers to identify characteristics associated with children who sustain cotton-tipped applicator injuries, they collected data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System regarding ED visits as a result of ear injuries sustained with the tool’s use between 1990 and 2010.
Within this time frame, approximately 263,338 children younger than 18 years of age sustained cotton-tipped applicator injuries to the ear and were treated in U.S. hospital EDs. A nonsignificant increase in injuries was noted between 1990 and 2001 (78.2%); however, a significant decrease in ear injuries was observed from 2001 to 2010 (26.0%).
According to study results, children between the ages of 0 and 3 had the highest rate of injury from cotton-tipped applicator use, with 32.2 injuries per 100,000; two-thirds of all injuries were attributed to children younger than 8 years of age.
The main use of these applicators noted at the hospital were associated with ear cleaning (73.2%), and injuries were more frequent when children cleaned their own ears (76.9%). Reasons for visiting the ED included foreign body sensation (39.2%) and bleeding (34.8%). When diagnosed, these children most likely had the presence of a foreign body (29.7%) and tympanic membrane perforation (25.3%).
“Although the number and rate of injuries has declined by more than 25% from 2001 through 2010, still more than 12,000 children were treated for applicator-related ear injuries in 2010,” Jatana and colleagues wrote. “The key to eliminating the risk of ear injury associated with applicator use is to promote awareness of the potential complications associated with cleaning the ears with cotton-tipped applicators and to educate the public on proper ways to care for their ears without the use of the applicators.” – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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