It does not reflect the views or opinions of any other government body or authority. This information reflects policy made by DVA and is used in the assessment of claims. Information provided on this website is prepared by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) for general information only and does not provide professional advice on a particular matter. If there is persistent hearing loss and tinnitus these should be separately determined using the relevant RMA SOPs. Otitic barotrauma can cause injury to the tympanic membrane, round window, oval window, Eustachion tube, and auditory ossicles.Īs a result of otitic barotrauma there may be conductive hearing loss and tinnitus, both of which should resolve as the barotrauma injury heals over time. If healing has occurred and there is a new episode of barotrauma, this is likely to be a new clinical onset/a separate injury, rather than a worsening. The usual course for otitic barotrauma is for the injury to heal spontaneously over time. Symptoms may not be noticed immediately in some circumstances, so the SOP factors allow 24 hours for clinical manifestations to develop. Clinical onset is at the time of the event causing the pressure difference to occur. The relevant medical specialist is an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon. Depending on the severity of the injury, physical signs of ear barotrauma are likely to have resolved within seven days (for mild injury) to three months (for a tympanic membrane perforation) following the injury.įor cases with a lack of contemporary diagnostic evidence see the MRCA policy manual section 3.4.5.1 on Limited streamlining approach for Barotrauma claims. Symptoms may include ear pressure, otalgia (pain in the ear), tinnitus, hearing loss (see comments below), and occasionally, vertigo.ĭiagnosis is made based on the history and confirmation of the injury on contemporary physical examination of the ear. This mostly results from flying (decreased external pressure) or diving (increased external pressure), with blast injury becoming a more prevalent cause. Otitic barotrauma is an injury to the middle or inner ear resulting from the creation of abnormal pressure differences on either side of the eardrum. Current RMA Instruments Reasonable Hypothesis SOP
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |