Patients in Wong Siu Ching Clinic and Tai Po Clinic who are found to have ear wax after physical examination will have ear syringing done, without pre-ear oil application. On the other hand, patients in Fanling Family Medicine Centre with ear wax will be given ear oil one week before performing ear syringing. We will compare the respective success rates of ear syringing from these 2 groups, the mean numbers of syringing attempts , as well as any complications such as ear canal abrasion, ear drum perforation, any pain or vertigo reported by patients. For those cases who fail ear syringing , olive oil will be prescribe and arrange 1 week follow up for ear syringing .
Patients in Wong Siu Ching Clinic and Tai Po Clinic who are found to have ear wax after physical examination will have ear syringing done, without pre-ear oil application. On the other hand, patients in Fanling Family Medicine Centre with ear wax will be given ear oil one week before performing ear syringing. We will compare the respective success rates of ear syringing from these 2 groups, the mean numbers of syringing attempts, subjective improvement in hearing , as well as any complications such as ear canal abrasion, ear drum perforation, any pain or vertigo reported by patients. For those cases who fail ear syringing , olive oil will be prescribe and arrange 1 week follow up for ear syringing .
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
120
Active Comparator: ear wax syringing with pre ear oil treatment Sham Comparator: ear wax syringing without pre ear oil treatment
Fanling Family MEdicine Centre , 1/F , 2 , Pik Fung Road , Fan Ling
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Tai Po Jockey Club Clinic , 37 Ting Kok Road , Tai Po , Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Wong Siu Ching Family Medicine centre . 1 , Po Wu Lane , Tai Po
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
The mean number of syringing attempts (50 ml syringe)
For both groups the mean number of syringing attempts (and 95% confidence interval) is calculated and compared by testing the difference between the means, using a t test for independent samples. For patients with persistent earwax in both ears , the mean number of syringing attempts needed for both ears in one patient is used for the calculations . All ears in which the wax is still persistent after another 10 syringing attempts are given a value of 11 in the calculations . Data for this study is analyzed using SPSS version 26 .
Time frame: 1 day
The presence of ear canal abrasion,
The presence of ear canal abrasion,
Time frame: 1 month
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.