Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about Otitis Externer.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash otitis external

or in the ear, nose and throat section of the zero

de finals surgery book. So let's get straight into it. Otitis external external is inflammation

of the skin of the external ear canal. Otto refers to ear and itis refers to inflammation. Externer refers to the external part of the ear.

Very often the inflammation is caused by infection and this infection can be localized, meaning

in a very specific area, or diffuse, meaning affecting a large area.

Otitis Externer can spread from the ear canal to the external ear or the pinner.

It can be acute happening over less than three weeks or chronic lasting more than three weeks.

Otitis Externia is sometimes called swimmer's ear,

as exposure to water while swimming can cause inflammation in the ear canal.

Trauma to the ear canal, for example, from cotton buds or ear plugs,

is another predisposing factor for infection and inflammation.

Earwax, also called serumen, has a protective effect against infection, so the

removal of earwax can increase the chances of infection.

The inflammation in otitis external may be caused by a bacterial infection, a fungal

infection, for example, aspergillus or candida, eczema, sebraic dermatitis or contact

dermatitis.

The tom tip for you, think about a fungal infection in patients that have had multiple

courses of topical antibiotics.

Antibartics kill the friendly bacteria that have a protective effect against fungal infections

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