Acute otitis externa - A local experience of clinical features and microbiology

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate precipitating factors, clinical presentations and the organisms commonly associated with acute otitis externa (AOE) in an Australian setting. To examine the role of routine microbiological tests in the management of AOE. Materials and methods: 78 patients presenting consecutively to a specialist eye and ear emergency department with unilateral AOE were assessed clinically and surveyed for known risk factors predisposing to AOE. Swabs for microbiology were taken from the affected ear and the normal ear. Several days after commencing treatment, patients were reviewed in the emergency department, along with the microbiological results. A control group of age- and gender-..