A slap in the face can also lead to a criminal case. Introduction to traumatic tympanic membrane perforation

Traumatic tympanic membrane perforation, as the name suggests, is a perforation of the tympanic membrane caused by external injury. It is one of the common emergency diseases in the otolaryngology department. Every perforated tympanic membrane is accompanied by a comedy, tragedy, or even a bizarre drama.

Most cases of traumatic tympanic membrane perforation encountered in the emergency department are caused by being beaten, and the main type is slapping, which often occurs in the early morning. Some people get beaten because of a fight, and after eating and drinking, they gather in groups of three or five, and because of some trivial quarrels, they slap each other. When such patients come to the emergency room, the clinic is often crowded with a lot of people, talking and making a lot of noise, and some are half drunk and half awake. In addition to group fights, more cases of tympanic membrane perforation are domestic violence. When people are emotionally excited, a slap in the face is often not done well and the tympanic membrane is broken. When they come to see the doctor, basically one person wipes tears and the other is silent. As ENT doctors, we usually speak and act carefully, because at this time the victim and the perpetrator are in the same room, and it is difficult for a judge to judge family affairs, so it is inappropriate to say anything.

In addition to being slapped, various weird behaviors can also lead to traumatic eardrum perforation. Common examples include using an ear pick to pick your ears too hard and accidentally breaking it; or being frightened or slapped by others while picking your ears; or a cockroach crawling into the ear and biting the eardrum. Of course, we occasionally encounter even more bizarre cases, with all kinds of strange coincidences. One Spring Festival, a patient got too close to fireworks, and a spark drew a perfect arc, which happened to jump into the ear canal and burned a hole in the eardrum. Another case was a college student, which happened many years ago. He bought a cheating tool for collecting sound in the ear canal. It was easy to put it in, but difficult to take it out. He poked it randomly and broke the eardrum.

What does it feel like if your eardrum is perforated?

The most intuitive feeling is - pain! The ear canal and eardrum are very sensitive to pain. Once injured, pain is inevitable. In addition to pain, tinnitus and deafness may also occur. The eardrum is like the "drum skin" of a big drum in our ears that senses sound vibrations. A normal eardrum is thin, taut, and translucent. It is responsible for sensing sound waves and transmitting vibrations to the inner ear through the ossicles behind it, and undertakes the important task of transmitting sound. Once it is "broken", the efficiency of transmitting sound will be greatly reduced. At this time, the piercer will feel a buzzing sound in the ear and his hearing will decrease, as if the ear is blocked. If the perforation is severe, there may even be bleeding in the ear canal.

How should we treat traumatic eardrum perforation? Actually, it is simple. We should try every possible means and create all conditions to let the eardrum grow again.

First of all, it is very important to prevent infection, because the perforated eardrum is more susceptible to bacterial infection. Depending on the damage and infection of the eardrum, appropriate antibiotic treatment is necessary in most cases. Secondly, it is particularly important to keep the ears dry. Be especially careful when bathing and washing your hair to prevent water from dripping into the ears. In addition, during the growth of the eardrum, do not pinch your nose to blow air, and do not blow your nose too hard to prevent the eardrum that has grown with great difficulty from being damaged due to increased pressure in the middle ear.

Of course, in addition to these aspects that patients should pay attention to, after the eardrum is perforated, it is best to go to the hospital's otolaryngology department for examination and treatment as soon as possible. The doctor will give professional treatment advice based on the size and location of the perforation. Generally speaking, if the perforation is not large, the eardrum may heal on its own. However, if the perforation is large or in a bad location, or even if there are signs of wound contamination or infection, there is little hope of self-healing, and surgery may be needed to repair the eardrum later.

Finally, let me talk about something other than medicine. I would like to emphasize that traumatic eardrum perforation is not a trivial matter from a legal perspective. If it is an intentional injury, and the victim's eardrum perforation heals on its own within six weeks and has little impact on hearing, it can be considered a minor injury. If it cannot heal within six weeks and has a significant impact on hearing, it can be considered a second-degree minor injury. Minor injuries are handled as general public security cases, while second-degree minor injuries or above constitute a criminal offense.

Therefore, in life, we should value harmony and not act rashly and cause irreparable harm to ourselves and our families by slapping others in the face.