Specialty Clinics - Ear Clinic
At Mount Hutton Medical & Skin Cancer Centre, we’re excited to offer a dedicated ear suction clinic led by our experienced nurse Jenny Harvey Hall. Jenny has undertaken specialised training in line with RACGP guidelines, ensuring that every patient receives safe, evidence-based care. Working closely with our GPs, Jenny combines her clinical expertise with a genuine passion for improving hearing health in the local community.
What is micro-suction and microscopy?
Ear micro-suction is a safe and effective procedure that uses a binocular microscope and a gentle suction device to remove earwax, debris, or foreign objects from the ear canal. The microscope provides a clear, magnified view of the ear canal and eardrum, allowing a practitioner to safely target and remove blockages with the fine suction probe. This technique is considered safer and more effective than traditional ear syringing, especially for people with perforated eardrums or a history of ear surgery.
Wax removal using micro-suction
Royal Australian College of General Practitioner advise that syringing is unsafe in the following conditions and wax removal using micro-suction preferred.
- Outer or middle ear infection
- Past or present ear drum perforation
- History of ear surgery
- Patients with good hearing in only one ear
- Unilateral deafness
In the following conditions suction is considered safer compared to syringing
- Uncooperative patients (e.g. children or adults with learning disorder
- Tinnitus (as syringing may aggravate tinnitus)
- Patients who are immunocompromised and at increased risk of infection.
Even in the absence of the above conditions you can still chose micro-suction for ear wax removal as its safer compared to traditional methods of wax removal.
Swimmers’ Ear treatment with micro-suction
Otitis externa is an inflammation or infection of the outer ear canal, often called "swimmer's ear," commonly caused by bacteria or fungi, and characterized by pain, itching, and discharge. Micro-suction is used for cleaning out debris and wax from the ear canal to allow topical medications to work effectively. It is a key part of treating otitis externa, especially when the ear canal is swollen and filled with pus or discharge, preventing medication from reaching the infected tissues.
Removal of Foreign Body using micro-suction
A foreign body in the ear canal, commonly a bead, toy, or vegetation, especially in young children. Symptoms can include pain, hearing loss, discharge, and a feeling of fullness, but sometimes there are no symptoms. Do not attempt to remove the object with instruments. Micro-suction is safe way to remove foreign bodies from ear canal.