Healthcare givers’ skill and foreign bodies in the ears of children in the tropics

Summary Objective The aim is to find out the place of clinical skill in the management of foreign bodies in the ear of children by various healthcare givers. Method Case files of children with foreign bodies in the ears seen in the Otorhinolaryngology Department of University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria from 1996 to 2005 were reviewed for all essential clinical data. Result Of 323 patients studied, 171 (53.00%) males and 152 (47.00%) females, 168 (52.01%) had prior removal attempts done by anxious caregivers or general practitioners before referral; 154 (91.67%) of these had complications. Only 10 (6.45%) of the 155 (47.99%) with removal by ENT registrars had complications. Conclusion Complications found appear to be related to level of clinical skill of individual health caregiver. Wherever possible, first attempt at removing aural foreign bodies should be done by an otorhinolaryngologist. Anxious parents must be discouraged from attempts but if they must attempt to remove ear foreign body, it must be by a safe ear syringing. General practitioners must be aware of their limitations and ENT registrars must be supervised by senior registrars with help of operating microscope to remove foreign bodies from the ears.