Disturbing footage shows a cotton bud being removed from a patient’s ear after becoming lodged for several days.
Neel Raithatha, who runs a private audiology clinic in Leicestershire, captured the revolting moment he removed the object.
The unnamed patient was struggling to hear properly and was suffering from an earache before seeking medical help.
Grim: Anonymous patient presented themselves suffering hearing loss and earache – after the the tip of a cotton bud became stuck and compromised the eardrum
Mr Raithatha discovered the wool had detached from the stick upon removing it from their ear, thought to be behind their symptoms.
Commenting on the bizarre case, Mr Raithatha said: ‘The client attempted to self-clean their ear using a cotton bud.
‘They felt they were not hearing too well and believed the cause to be impacted earwax.
‘This is not recommended as the cotton bud, itself, can further push in and impact any earwax present.
‘The cotton wool was quite deep in the external auditory canal (ear canal) by using crocodile forceps, I gently prized it out.
‘It took about a minute, but it was a delicate procedure given the cotton bud was deep in the ear canal.’
The audiologist has previously removed a pen cap, earrings, twenty-two wax filters and an unidentified plastic object from an ear canal.
In November last year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) stressed that cotton buds should not be used to clean ears.
Obstruction: The foreign mass can be seen blocking the canal prior to its careful extraction
Did you know? In November 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) stressed that cotton buds should not be used to clean ears
Clear: The patient’s hearing was fully-restored after the product was removed in full
It admitted there is a ‘lack of evidence’ on the risks associated with using cotton buds but that they present a ‘potential hazard’ when used by patients to remove wax themselves.
Katherine Harrop-Griffiths, consultant in audiovestibular medicine and chairman of the guideline committee, said: ‘The general advice given is not to insert anything into the ear canal as it is self-cleaning.
‘The only cleaning needed is to gently wipe the conch of the external ear with a damp flannel over a finger.
‘Ear irrigation is an effective method of removing earwax.’