Brief Answer:
Ciprofloxacin ear drops is the safest in the middle ear infections

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for posting the query

The presence of blood clots could be due to the acute middle ear infection followed by the perforation of the eardrum. Occasionally, the damage to external ear skin can leave some clots in the canal.

In either of these conditions, the safest ear drops one can use is of ciprofloxacin. There are other group of antibiotics which are notorious to cause damage to the inner ear nerves, hence, otologists prefer ciprofloxacin over other antibiotics.

Do not worry! Most of the ear/eye drops are unsterile. That doesn’t mean that they are contaminated with microorganisms. Any drops we use inside the ear has to go through the external ear skin, which is totally unsterile. Hence, it doesn’t really matter when you use ear drops to treat middle ear infections.

Secondly, most of the middle ear infections are secondary to infections in the nose or the Eustachian tube (the tube connecting the nose and the ear). It has to be treated along with the middle ear infections.

1. Steam inhalation through the nose 3-4 times a day, to help in opening of the Eustachian tube.
2. Xylometazoline or Oxymetazoline also helps in relieving the nasal congestion and opening up of the Eustachian tube.
3. Avoid water getting into the affected ear.

Hope this answers your query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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