The ineffectiveness of applying moisture to the ear on the incidence and severity of otic barotrauma for air passengers

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThe application of moisture to the ear is anecdotally claimed to relieve the pain from otic barotrauma that can arise during aircraft descent. This claim was tested in a randomised double-blind study on an aircraft with eight participants heavily predisposed to barotrauma.MethodsOn the outward flight, half the participants wore ‘active’ devices that applied moisture to the external ear; the remainder wore placebo devices that contained no moisture, but were otherwise identical. On the return flight, the groups were reversed. Participants wore the devices from just before descent until landing, unless they experienced symptoms of barotrauma, in which case they switched to what they knew was an active device.ResultsThere were no significant differences between conditions regarding the appearance of the tympanic membrane on landing or the discomfort levels immediately before and after any switch.ConclusionApplying moisture is ineffective for passengers heavily predisposed to otic barotrauma.