[The treatment of the patients suffering from acute bacterial external otitis with the use of intravenous blood illumination by low-intensity laser radiation at a wavelength of 445 nm].

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of allergic reactions to the pharmaceutical products and the development of antibiotic resistance limit the provision of the high-quality medical care to the patients presenting with acute bacterial external otitis media (ABEO).

AIM

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment of the patients suffering from ABEO with the application of the new technique based on intravenous blood illumination by low-intensity laser radiation at a wavelength of 445 nm (ILBI-445).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This open comparative clinical study was carried out from April 2017 till June 2017 and included the patients with ABEO who were divided into two groups. The patients of the main group underwent the standard treatment in the combination with low-intensity laser radiation at a wavelength of 445 nm. Those comprising the control group were given the conventional treatment alone. The end point of the study was the complete disappearance of local inflammatory signs in the region of the external auditory canal (EAC) and auricle, the restoration of the volume of the EAC, the absence of complaints estimated based on the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the complete disappearance of symptoms of intoxication. The local signs of inflammation in the region of the EAC and auricle were assessed from the otoscopic picture. The measurement of the volume of the external auditory canal were carried out by filling it with a furacilin solution at a temperature of 36C using a 2 ml syringe. The character of the inflammatory changes in the external auditory canal, the intensity of pain and itching, as well as the degree of hearing loss were estimated at 10 points based on the 10-point visual analogue scale (with 0 points standing for the absence of complaints and 10 points denoting the maximum severity of the complaints). The symptoms of intoxication were determined from the measurements of body temperature.

RESULTS

The combined treatment of the patients with ABEO using ILBI-445 resulted in their earlier recovery in comparison with that achieved by means of the standard therapy. The differences were especially pronounced on the 5th day of treatment. Complaints of pain and the loss of hearing were documented only in the patients of the control group. Itching was a significantly less serious trouble in the patients of the main group than it was in those comprising the control group. The volume of the external auditory canal in the patients of the main group on the 5 day after the onset of the treatment was more than 16.7% greater than in the control one.

CONCLUSIONS

The high therapeutic effectiveness and simplicity of the approach employed in the present study taken together with a minimum of contraindications for its application give reason to recommend intravenous blood illumination by low-intensity laser radiation at a wavelength of 445 nm for the treatment of the patients suffering from acute bacterial external otitis.