Acute otitis externa is an infection or inflammation of the external ear canal. First-line management addresses both the patient's pain and the local canal environment, with the clinical approach tailored to severity at presentation.
Management begins with formal pain assessment and analgesic selection scaled to severity, alongside topical ear canal therapy as the cornerstone of initial treatment — the specific preparations and delivery technique depend on the state of the canal.
Clinical response — including relief of ear pain (otalgia), itching, and fullness — is expected within 48 to 72 hours, with complete symptom resolution typically taking up to 2 weeks.
DOI: 10.1177/0194599813517083
The clinician should assess patients with AOE for pain and recommend analgesic treatment based on the severity of pain.
Clinicians should prescribe topical preparations for initial therapy of diffuse, uncomplicated AOE.
Ensuring adequate delivery of the topical medication may require removing a foreign body, performing aural toilet to remove obstructing debris, placing a wick to permit drug delivery through the length of the ear canal, or all three.
Appropriate treatment of uncomplicated AOE should be followed by symptom improvement (otalgia, itching, fullness) within 48 to 72 hours, although symptom resolution may take up to 2 weeks.
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