What Causes Hearing Loss Along With Tinnitus?

Posted on Wed, 30 Aug 2017

Question: Thank you, injury to external auditory canal and tympanic membrane after ear lavage for wax removal.
Ecchymosis of external auditory canal near tympanic membrane (membrane intact but some bruising),
Ear lavage done at WLA Kaiser on 6/20/17. LVN pushed plunger of 50cc syringe very fast and very
forceful with cold water, immediately followed by a 2nd one with warm water (intense pain, almost passed
out). Approx. 4 weeks for hearing loss, otalgia,and tinnitus to improve. A hearing test is scheduled for
8/29/17. I need a second opinion to help me decide my legal course of action. I have my medical records
relating to this matter. Appreciate your time, XXXXXXX White 310-903-1130 YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Medico legal case

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX White,
Thank you for trusting HealthcareMagic for your health concern

It is important to confirm if the injury to tympanic membrane and external auditary canal is actually caused by the lavage.
If you had followed up soon after the injury with the ENT specialist, you will probably have records regarding this. Sometimes associated middle ear infection and inflammation may be present, which can make it difficult to actually confirm whether the tympanic membrane injury and associated hearing loss is caused by the procedure or the underlying infection. This is called 'certificate of merit' for your claim, which means another physician is certifying that the injuries are a direct result from the medical procedure conducted by the original doctor.
Since you are already been seen by an ENT specialist confirm with him/her regarding cause of the injury, get the necessary records supporting your claim and the certificate of merit.

Before doing procedures most providers will get an informed consent regarding possible complications of the procedure. If you had signed such a consent then it is difficult to claim compensation. A medical malpractice attorney can help you in this regard.

You can also consider settling the case out of court by contacting the doctor.
Anyway, to proceed further with legal action you will need the necessary medical records and help from medical malpractice attorney to file a claim.

Hope this answers your questions
Please address further questions here
Regards
Dr.Lekshmi

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (3 hours later)

Thank you. A doctor did not do the procedure, it was an LVN. No consent was
signed. I have this done once or twice a year, they don't have you sign a consent.
The LVN had an attitude, she was either pissed I was interrupting her schedule
or needed to be supervised. No one has ever flushed my ear that hard, I say this because of the intensity with which it hit my ear canal. During the flushing I was hollering that it has never hurt like this before and why was the water cold. The
second time she flushed she said in a snide manner is that warm enough as she again pushed the plunger as hard as she could. This procedure was done after
a routine physical by a Nurse Practioner, due to the wax she couldn't see my ear canal. I insisted to the LVN that someone needed to look in my ear. When the NP
came in she took a quick look, saw flaming red and diagnosed ear infection. I
had some discharge from my ear the first day. Two days later I went to urgent
care, it wasn't getting better. I was switched to a different antibiotic. Three days
later on a Monday I was seen by a Kaiser ENT doctor as it was still not getting any
better. He took me off antibiotic's and said it was an injury. He works for Kaiser so
it remains to be seen if he'll agree to a "certificate of merit". He states in his progress notes: prior to this painful lavage patient did not have pain, hearing loss & discharge and that primary encounter diagnosis is likely due to traumatic ear lavage.I have a hearing test 6/29 (hopefully it will be "A ok"). I have been advised to get a non-Kaiser ENT Doctor to examine my records to help decide how to proceed legally.
After hearing results I will proceed with this and would like to have that lined up.
I have been advised to hold off notifying Kaiser Quality Control Dept. about this
employee (this is difficult as the thought of someone else being injured is
disturbing to me). I have spoken over the phone to an attorney, she is advising
me to get my records looked at by an impartial ENT Doctor before deciding how to
proceed. Can you refer me to someone that does this kind of service? Has to be a ENT specialist. Thank You, XXXXXXX White

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Follow up answer

Detailed Answer:
Hello again,

Since the ENT specialist has mentioned possible Traumatic ear lavage, it will be easier for you to put forward a claim. You can consult any doctor outside the Kaiser system (if you do not feel comfortable going to a doctor within Kaiser) who can review the records and give you a certificate of merit.

Any licensed physician can review the records and provide their judgment. Contact doctors near you to see if they review records for submission of a claim.
Some doctors offer such service for a fee.

However. If you need consultation with physicians specialized in reviewing medical-legal cases, you can contact organization like Physicians Medical review (their contact information is available on their official website)

I am really sorry that you had to go through such an unfortunate incident.

Hope everything works out well for you
Please follow up if you need further clarifications.

Regards,
Dr.Lekshmi

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee