Where it is
The outer ear (pinna and ear canal) is visible on the side of the head. The middle and inner ear lie inside the temporal bone. The 3D model shows the external ear.
What it does
The outer ear collects sound, the middle ear amplifies it through the ossicles, the cochlea converts it into nerve signals and the semicircular canals sense rotation of the head. The Eustachian tube equalizes pressure in the middle ear.
Clinical relevance
- Children's Eustachian tubes are shorter and more horizontal, so they get more middle ear infections.
- Ototoxic drugs include aminoglycosides (gentamicin), loop diuretics (furosemide given rapidly IV) and high-dose aspirin: watch for tinnitus and hearing loss.
Nursing focus
- Do not irrigate an ear with a perforated eardrum or a vegetable foreign body.
- Face clients with hearing loss, speak clearly at a normal volume and reduce background noise.