How should acute suppurative otitis media be treated?

  Acute suppurative otitis media often appears after an acute upper respiratory infection, often after a “cold”, and inappropriate nose-blowing is a common precipitating factor.  Initially, the main symptoms are ear pain and swelling, accompanied by mild hearing loss and even tinnitus, and in children, systemic symptoms such as fever may occur. The main treatment during this period is oral antibiotics to actively fight the infection, together with nasal drops or nasal spray to improve the function of the eustachian tube, and if necessary, anti-allergic and phlegmolytic drugs to promote the discharge of secretions. If the symptoms do not improve or even worsen after 3 days of initial treatment, a follow-up visit to the doctor is necessary to consider whether to perform tympanotomy to help drain the pus from the middle ear and promote recovery from acute inflammation, depending on the accumulation of middle ear secretions and the condition of the eardrum.  As the disease progresses, pus may flow from the ear, indicating that the infection in the middle ear has caused a perforation of the eardrum and that pus is flowing from the perforation into the external ear canal. Treatment during this period requires, in addition to the previous basic treatment, the cleaning of the external ear canal with hydrogen peroxide and the use of ear drops containing antibiotics. During the treatment period, it is important to follow up with the doctor on time according to the situation to check the control of middle ear inflammation, and not to use random medication at home by yourself to avoid delaying the treatment or even developing chronic suppurative otitis media.