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What is it about ?
The pinna is the visible outer part of the ear. It is made up of cartilage which ensures its rigidity. The cartilage is surrounded by a layer of connective tissue in which the blood vessels that bring blood to the pinna are located. The skin covers the whole.
Trauma is understood to mean any injury caused by external factors: blow to the ear (blunt injury), accident (for example by cut), burn or frostbite and surgery.
How to recognize them?
If there is a bruise or cut, the skin is damaged. Connective tissue and cartilage can also be injured. Usually the bleeding is quite heavy. It even happens that a piece of the pavilion is missing.
In blunt injuries, there is usually only an effusion of blood between the cartilage and the connective tissue layer in the upper part of the ear. You can then feel a painless, moving mass in the pinna.
In the event of a burn or frostbite, the affected area is first red, then blisters form. In severe cases, the tissues can die. The ear may be deformed after healing.
What can you do ?
Seek immediate treatment for any injury to the pinna. Wash a dirty wound and cover it with a sterile compress to prevent infection. Place a pressure bandage to stop the bleeding and keep the pinna in place. If the injury is severe, always contact the general practitioner.
What can the doctor do?
The general practitioner can treat cuts that are limited to the skin of the pinna (eg, the earlobe). After carefully disinfecting the wound, the doctor sews the wound under local anesthesia, then covers the wound with a sterile bandage. The stitches remain in place for five days. If connective tissue and cartilage are also affected, the GP may refer you to a specialist to stitch the cartilage back together.
If there is suspicion of contamination of the wound, he will start antibiotic treatment with penicillin. He will also check if you are in order for the tetanus vaccination.
In the event of a hematoma, the blood can be removed from the wound using a syringe fitted with a fine needle. Then the doctor applies a compression bandage. If necessary, this procedure can be repeated several times. An untreated blood hematoma can lead to deformation of the cartilage and therefore the pinna. The goal of this treatment is always to promote healing of the wound, to preserve the appearance of the pinna and to ensure that the cartilage heals.
Burns to the pinna are treated the same way as burns elsewhere on the body. There’s not much you can do about frostbite. It is especially important to avoid infection by disinfecting frostbite and possibly starting antibiotics. In the event of frostbite with tissue death (necrosis), the specialist removes part of the pinna.
Any injury to the ear poses a risk of infection. An infection is accompanied by pain, redness, and swelling of the infected area. In severe cases, pus builds up between the cartilage and the connective tissue layer, and an abscess appears. The doctor will then refer you to a specialist to incise the abscess. Antibiotics are needed. If these infections are left untreated, they can lead to destruction of the cartilage and severe distortion of the pinna.
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