Recently a patient sought assistance from Penwith Ear Care in Cornwall after the patient had been to see a local audiologist for their annual hearing test and hearing aid check.

 

The audiologist referred the patient to Penwith Ear Care as they noticed a large amount of wax in both ears, so could not proceed with their annual check-up.

Beth began the procedure to remove the patients wax using the Tympa and was able to remove the first layer of wax. After a while, Beth noticed what she thought at first could have been a hard wax plug, however it didn’t feel quite right to her.

Using the Tympa she took another look inside the patient’s ear and captured a clearer image now that the first layer of wax had been removed. After reviewing the image, she could see what looked like a hearing aid dome inside the patient’s ear. Talking to the patient they confirmed that they used to wear that type of hearing aid but hadn’t worn it in over 3 years. This made Beth think that perhaps it was a hearing aid battery – which is a serious cause of concern.

Beth uploaded the images to the Tympa Panel for a Remote Review by one of the TympaHealth audiologists. After receiving a notification for urgent review, Suren confirmed that it was in fact a hearing aid dome and not a battery. Beth then called the patient and advised them to go to A&E. She was able to forward on a patient referral which included the high-resolution images of the hearing aid dome in the patient’s ear and was treated immediately by the lead nurse at the minor injury’s unit.

Feeling relieved and still somewhat surprised that a hearing aid dome had been there for so long. Beth heard back from the patient, who was extremely grateful and said their visit to A&E was over in 5 minutes!

Hearing Aid Dome

"This is a great example of an allied healthcare professional being able to deliver ear and hearing healthcare in the heart of the community by using the Tympa system & having the support of our 'Remote Review'. The patient went from having a hearing aid dome stuck in their ear, which was quickly identified, and once identified, they were able to get the treatment they needed safely and effectively by taking the videos and images to A&E, where an on-call ENT reviewed the case and determined it was a dome, which could be safely removed."
Suren, TympaHealth Senior Trainer
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