Here’s why patients should not use cotton buds in their ears

Hearing loss, surgery and hospital stays followed for two patients with impacted cotton wadding
Ear and ear bud

It’s medical advice that’s usually ignored, but even the most determined ear cleaners might be persuaded to quit the habit after two patients’ experiences with impacted cotton wads.

Cotton buds were the source of the serious complications for two patients who had impacted wadding in the ear canal, write the authors from the otorhinolaryngology department of a UK hospital in BMJ Case Reports.