Mission Statement
Welcome to ClearEar Jersey. We strive to provide an ear microscutioning experience that is as comfortable as it is safe. Our aural practitioners are fully trained by a local ear surgeon, with whom they are in regular communication, so you have the reassurance of knowing that, should any unexpected events arise (though it is extremely unlikely) then an experienced surgeon will be close-by to help. The clinic is run from the private rooms of Mr Russell Cathcart, a local ENT surgeon with 25 years of experience in ear, nose and throat conditions.
If that's a service that you think you could use, then read on...
What is 'microsuctioning'?
Microsuctioning, or aural suctioning, is a well-established techinique for the removal of material from the ear canals. It is the method preferred by most ENT surgeons for clearing the ear canals, because it is quick, effective and, in the right hands, very safe. Thankfully the days of large metal syringes for flushing out ears are well in the past, largely because it is messy, often poorly tolerated by patients and in inexperienced hands can be quite dangerous with many reports of burst eardrums through that technique. Nowadays, many medical practices use pulse-lavage machines to clear ears out which are certainly much safer but can still be quite messy and uncomfortable. It can also require a few sittings to get a complete result. Microscutioning avoids all of those problems. It involves the use of a narrow suction tube to extract the wax or materal under illuminated microscopic vision. This gives an excellent view all the way down the ear canal, as far as the eardrum, so the practitioner can be sure they have cleared everything out.
Although the clearance is mosty done by suctioning, there will be occasions when the practitioner may choose to use a blunt instrument to help remove the material but, again, because they have direct vision of what they are doing, then this is very safe and generally very well tolerated.
Typically the procedure will take 15 minutes to do both sides.
Microsuctioning should only be carried out by healthcare professionals who are fully trained and qualified in the technique.
What can microsuctioning clear?
Most of the time, microsuctioning is used to clear a build up of wax from the ear canals although it can be used to clear pretty much anything from the ears.
Examples of what can be cleared are:
- wax
- trapped water
- excess skin
- infection debris
- foreign bodies (such as beads, paper, earplugs, cotton buds etc)
- insects (sorry but, yes, it does happen)
- pretty much anything that can fit in the ear (we've seen it all)
Who would benefit from microsuctioning
Microsuctioning can be performed on anyone who can lie or sit still long enough to have it done. That usually means anyone from the age of 5 years upwards, sometimes even younger with an experienced practitioner. Typically people who request wax removal are those who wear hearing aids or use earphones/headsets regularly, or patients with narrow or hairy ears whose wax gets easily trapped. Patients with perforated eardrums should not have their ears syringed and so often end up undergoing microsuctioning. And patients with ear infections or inflamed ears through eczema or dermatitis usally prefer suctionining of their ears as it does not result in any pressure in the ears.
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Contact us
Telephone: 0770 00706777
Email: admin at russellcathcart.com
New Alliance Medical Suite
2 Spectrum
Gloucester Street, St Helier
Jersey
JE2 3DA