Otitis Externa Case Study

Describe two patients, one who is being seen for OM, and one who is being seen for OE. Identify the symptoms they each present with, what the tympanic membrane and/or canal specifically look like, the selected prescription and the dosage of the prescription. Otitis Externa or swimmer's ear as it's commonly known, is an acute painful inflammatory disorder of the ear canal. This condition is characterized by a rapid onset of an external ear canal infection, that may extend distally to the pinna and proximal to the tympanic membrane resulting in otalgia, itching, canal edema, erythema, and otorrhea that often occurs after swimming or a minor trauma from inadequate cleaning. This form of ear bacterial infection is often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus pathogens and can affect individual of all ages (Schaefer, & Baugh,

This acute disorder, mostly affect infants and middle age children, that commonly presents with specific signs and symptoms such ear holding, tugging or pulling that may be accompanied by fever without signs of an acute illness (Pirozzo, & Del Mar, 2011)(Woo, & Robinson, 2016).

Acute Otitis Externa Case Study (AOE) :

A 26 year old female patient presents to the urgent care with a chief complaint of a" wet and painful left ear." The onset of symptoms began 24 hours after she spent the day swimming in her family pool. The patient states experiencing ear fullness and itching, that is unrelieved even after she cleaned her ear with a cotton swab. Upon examination with the otoscope, the ARNP notices a erythematous ear canal with a moderate tympanic membrane edema and a clear exudate. The external surrounding tissue is mildly tender to touch and normal vital signs WNL.

Pharmacotherapeutic treatment:

Combination therapy with topical antimicrobial ophthalmic