Case Study: Hearing Aid Dome Discovered in Patients Ear

Recently, a patients son-in-law sought assistance from Penwith Ear Care in Cornwall requesting a wax removal.

Before the appointment, the patient was advised to oil their ears for 5 days. Taking a brief history, Beth Reyhani of Penwith Ear Care knew the patient currently wore hearing aids with hearing aid domes, which were due to be checked. The patient informed Beth that they had recently noticed a slight loss in clarity in their hearing and a feeling of fullness in their left ear. After, a quick examination Beth could see that the patients left ear was partially blocked with the ear wax which was removed easily.

Beth then proceeded to check the outer right ear, lifting the pinner up and back and before inserting the otoscope, she could see what looked like a hearing aid dome.

Beth informed the patient of what she suspected, then used the Tympa System to take a clear image of the dome, which she was also able to show to the patient. Beth attempted once to remove the dome herself but was not able to. From here, Beth advised the patient to contact Out of Hours (OOH) to make an appointment with Minor Injuries (MIU) or head up to A&E to have it removed. She sent on a PDF with high-res images and video to the patient to show the MIU.

The following day, Penwith Ear Care contacted the patient to get an update – they had been given an appointment at MIU the following morning and the dome was successfully removed. The patient was then seen by the on-call Doctor and given a prescription for antibiotics.