Foreign body - hearing aid

A 75-year-old man presents to the VA urgent care clinic with concerns for decreased hearing and discomfort in his right ear. He reports wearing hearing aids. Examination of the right ear reveals this image. The patient has a foreign body in his ear canal. The item was easily removed with forceps under direct visualization from the Wispr. On inspection, it turned out to be a piece of the patient’s hearing aid. Retained pieces of hearing aids are a common finding in the outpatient clinic. Irritation of the external auditory canal was noted after removal suggesting that the foreign body had been present for at least several days. The patient did well without further intervention.