Tickpedia
Removal · field guidance

Removing a tick from inside the ear canal (clinician territory)

A tick in the external ear canal needs an otoscope and a clinician — do not poke at it with tweezers or cotton swabs at home.

Steps

schema.org/HowTo
  1. 01
    Do not insert tweezers, swabs, or fingers into the canal — you will push the tick deeper or rupture the eardrum.
  2. 02
    Keep the patient still and the affected ear up.
  3. 03
    Go to urgent care or an ENT; the clinician will visualize the canal with an otoscope.
  4. 04
    Standard practice is to instill 2% lidocaine or mineral oil to immobilize the tick, then remove with alligator forceps under direct vision.
  5. 05
    The canal is examined afterward for retained mouthparts and tympanic membrane integrity.

Wild facts

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