A 17-year-old student is a swimmer on her high school's swim ...

[Chelseaamend]

A 17-year-old student is a swimmer on her high school's swim team. She has had three bouts of otitis externa this season and wants to know what to do to prevent it. The nurse instructs her to:
 
  a. Use a cotton-tipped swab to dry the ear canals thoroughly after each swim.
  b. Use rubbing alcohol or 2 acetic acid eardrops after every swim.
  c. Irrigate the ears with warm water and a bulb syringe after each swim.
  d. Rinse the ears with a warmed solution of mineral oil and hydrogen peroxide.

Question 2

During an otoscopic examination, the nurse notices an area of black and white dots on the tympanic membrane and the ear canal wall. What does this finding suggest?
 
  a. Malignancy
  b. Viral infection
  c. Blood in the middle ear
  d. Yeast or fungal infection

[Athena23]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
With otitis externa (swimmer's ear), swimming causes the external canal to become waterlogged and swell; skinfolds are set up for infection. Otitis externa can be prevented by using rubbing alcohol or 2 acetic acid eardrops after every swim.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
A colony of black or white dots on the drum or canal wall suggests a yeast or fungal infection (otomycosis).