Comparison of clinical outcomes of three different packing materials in the treatment of severe acute otitis externa.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the clinical outcomes of biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam versus ribbon gauze and ear wick in the treatment of severe acute otitis externa.


METHODS
Ninety-two adults with severe acute otitis externa were randomly assigned to groups receiving ear wick (n = 28), ribbon gauze (n = 34) or biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam (n = 30). Clinical efficacy, in terms of otalgia, oedema, erythema and tenderness of the external auditory canal, was assessed before packing was applied and at follow up on the 3rd and 7th days of presentation.


RESULTS
All packing materials were associated with improved otalgia and oedema on the 3rd day; however, there were significant differences between biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam and the other packing materials, and there was no significant reduction in tenderness in the biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam group on the 3rd day. In the ribbon gauze and ear wick groups, improvements in all clinical efficacy scores were statistically significant for all pairwise comparisons.


CONCLUSION
The three packing materials were all quite effective in treating severe acute otitis externa, but ear wick and ribbon gauze were superior to biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam for relieving signs and symptoms, especially on the 3rd day.
['Demir|D|D|', 'Yılmaz|M S|MS|', 'Güven|M|M|', 'Kara|A|A|', 'Elden|H|H|', 'Erkorkmaz|Ü|Ü|']
D000208:Acute Disease D000328:Adult D001458:Bandages D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental D004433:Earache D004487:Edema D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D010032:Otitis Externa D011140:Polyurethanes D012720:Severity of Illness Index D016896:Treatment Outcome D055815:Young Adult
Otitis Externa Otalgia Ear Canal Treatment Outcome