$Unique_ID{PAR00062}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Draining Ear}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Draining discharge earwax acetaminophen cotton swab canal
canals boil eardrums cerumen middle ear infection swimmer's eardrum
rupture ruptures injury injuries infection infections cholesteatoma tumor
foreign object objects skull fracture fractures discharges thin watery bloody
odorous cheesy green yellow white drain drains drainage}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Draining Ear


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Any discharge from the ear (other than normal earwax).

     HOME CARE
     - Do not treat at home.  See your doctor promptly.
     - While waiting to see the doctor, give the child acetaminophen if there
       is pain.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - A doctor should examine a draining ear within 12 to 24 hours.
     - Do not pack cotton into a draining ear.
     - Do not use a cotton swab or any other object to remove material still
       in the ear canal.
     - Do not wash out a draining ear, since the eardrum may be broken.


     When any abnormal discharge or fluid comes out of the ear canal, the ear
is said to be draining.  The only material that normally comes from the ear
canal is cerumen (earwax).  Earwax is ordinarily brown, although it may be
beige or yellowish if mixed with water when bathing, showering, or swimming.
Normally, earwax has only a mild odor, contains no blood, and does not flow
out in large amounts.
     Discharge of any other material from the ear canal signals a potentially
serious condition.  It may be a symptom of a middle ear infection, a boil in
the ear canal, swimmer's ear (infection of the ear canal), rupture (break or
tear) of the eardrum by injury or infection, a foreign object in the ear
canal, cholesteatoma (a tumor of the middle ear), or a fracture of the base of
the skull.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Abnormal discharge from the ear may be thin and watery, bloody, odorous,
cheesy, green, yellow, or white.

HOME CARE

     Any drainage from the ear canal other than ordinary earwax should be
considered abnormal.  Do not try to treat a draining ear at home.  It should
be seen promptly by a physician.
     While the child is waiting to see the doctor, pain accompanying a
draining ear may be temporarily treated with acetaminophen.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  A draining ear should be examined by a doctor within 12 to 24 hours.
  -  Do not pack cotton into a draining ear.  Packing the canal may force the
     discharge back into the middle ear.
  -  Do not use a cotton swab or any other object to remove material from the
     canal.
  -  Do not attempt to wash out a draining ear, since the eardrum may be
     broken or torn.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will gently clean your child's ear, inspect it, and diagnose
the cause of the problem.  Depending on what is found in the ear canal,
treatment may include oral antibiotics, medicated ear drops, removal of a
foreign body, an x-ray examination of the child's skull or mastoid bone, or
surgery for cholesteatoma.  In the case of a ruptured eardrum, antibiotics may
be required for a long time, until the eardrum has healed and hearing has
returned to normal.

RELATED TOPICS:  Deafness; Earaches; Swimmer's ear