Summary of the practice guideline 'Otitis externa' (first revision) from the Dutch College of General Practitioners
Wiersma, T.J.; Rooijackers-Lemmens, E.; van Balen, F.A.M.; Opstelten, W.; Starreveld, J.S.; Goudswaard, A.N.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 152(21): 1210-1214
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-2162 PMID: 18578449 Document Number: 616236
* The practice guideline 'Otitis externa', first developed by the Dutch College of General Practitioners in 1995, has been revised and updated. * It is no longer recommended to perform a KOH test on material collected from the auditory canal in patients with otitis externa. * Eardrops that contain both acid and corticosteroids are preferred over eardrops that contain acid only. * Suitable options include acidic eardrops with hydrocortisone 1% FNA and acidic eardrops with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% FNA at a dose of 3 drops thrice daily. * The guideline contains a detailed discussion of the ototoxicity of eardrops in patients with tympanic membrane perforation. * Management of these patients, however, remains unchanged: the preferred approach is aluminium acetotartrate eardrops 1.2% FNA.