Abstract
The potential complications of cotton bud use are not well known in the elderly population. Here, we presented a case of cotton bud misuse. An elderly man who had long-standing diabetes mellitus, chronic otorrhea, and right-sided otalgia was poorly responsive to empirical treatment at a primary hospital. He was misdiagnosed with malignant otitis externa and referred to a tertiary hospital. On treatment Day 7 at the tertiary hospital, when the swollen ear canal was somewhat resolved, a retained cotton swab was found in his ear canal. His symptoms rapidly resolved after removing the retained foreign body. A cotton bud can be retained as a foreign body in the ear canal. The guidance of health professionals is needed to clean the ear canal using cotton buds, especially for elderly patients with other chronic diseases.
Published Version
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