Section V. DISORDERS OF THE EAR
1-24. HEARING LOSS
a. Conductive Hearing Loss. Hearing loss due to an impairment of the
external ear, middle ear or both.
b. Perceptive Hearing Loss. (Sensorineural hearing loss). Hearing loss due to
disease of the inner ear or nerve pathways. Sensitivity to sound and discrimination of
sound are both impaired.
c. Mixed Hearing Loss. Hearing loss due to a combination of conductive and
perceptive loss.
d. Psychogenic Hearing Loss. Hearing loss with no physical basis. Usually a
manifestation of an emotional disturbance.
1-25. IMPACTED CERUMEN (EARWAX)
a. Cerumen is a waxlike secretion found within the external auditory canal. Its
presence is normal.
b. Cerumen does not need to be removed unless it is impacted or it interferes
with hearing.
c. Impacted cerumen is removed by the physician (or a trained technician) using
one of the following techniques:
(1)
Irrigation.
(2)
Instillation of drops designed to break down the cerumen.
(3)
Removal with a blunt instrument such as a curet or loop.
1-26. FOREIGN BODY
a. Foreign bodies in the ear are most commonly seen in children, as children will
frequently stick small objects into their ears. Other types of foreign bodies include:
(1)
Insects (crawl or fly into the ear).
(2)
Airborne matter (maybe blown into the ear).
NOTE:
NEVER attempt to remove a foreign body from the ear unless you are skilled
at the techniques used. The external ear canal could be damaged or the
tympanic membrane ruptured. This procedure is normally performed by the
physician.
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