A novel earwax self-sampling device: a feasibility study

TY - JOUR

T1 - A novel earwax self-sampling device

T2 - a feasibility study

AU - Herane-Vives, Andrés

AU - Sandoval, Rodrigo

AU - Ortega, Lorena

AU - Espinoza, Susana

AU - Cleare, Anthony

AU - Hayes, Alexander

AU - Ortuzar, Esteban

AU - Valdenegro, Tomás

AU - Aguiló, Bruno

AU - Benöhr, Jan

AU - Arnone, Danilo

N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This study was funded by private funds provided by A.H.-V. and J.B. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/6/1

Y1 - 2021/6/1

N2 - (1) Background: Earwax might provide the long-term concentration of substances that are altered in chronic diseases. Standardised earwax extraction has to be exclusively performed by clinicians. We investigated the safety, reliability, and tolerance of a novel self-sampling earwax device in comparison with a clinical method; (2) Methods: We compared the reliability between both methods in a longitudinal study. We first cleaned both ears at baseline in 37 controls. Secondly, we obtained a sample a month after by extracting earwax from the right ear with a novel self-sampling device, and from the left ear by using the clinical method. Reliability of both methods was measured by coefficients of variation; (3) Results: The weight of the baseline samples was not significantly different between ear sides. The reliability of the two methods was not significantly different. The self-extraction method removed eight times more earwax than the clinical method. The new method proved to be well tolerated; (4) Conclusions: The novel device was as reliable as the clinical method in sampling earwax. In view of its practicality, safety, tolerability and efficiency, the new method may have clinical applications at a reduced cost.

AB - (1) Background: Earwax might provide the long-term concentration of substances that are altered in chronic diseases. Standardised earwax extraction has to be exclusively performed by clinicians. We investigated the safety, reliability, and tolerance of a novel self-sampling earwax device in comparison with a clinical method; (2) Methods: We compared the reliability between both methods in a longitudinal study. We first cleaned both ears at baseline in 37 controls. Secondly, we obtained a sample a month after by extracting earwax from the right ear with a novel self-sampling device, and from the left ear by using the clinical method. Reliability of both methods was measured by coefficients of variation; (3) Results: The weight of the baseline samples was not significantly different between ear sides. The reliability of the two methods was not significantly different. The self-extraction method removed eight times more earwax than the clinical method. The new method proved to be well tolerated; (4) Conclusions: The novel device was as reliable as the clinical method in sampling earwax. In view of its practicality, safety, tolerability and efficiency, the new method may have clinical applications at a reduced cost.

KW - Clinical method

KW - Cotton swabs

KW - Self-sampling earwax device

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107573910&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/app11114882

DO - 10.3390/app11114882

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85107573910

SN - 2076-3417

VL - 11

JO - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)

JF - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)

IS - 11

M1 - 4882

ER -