Puthalath Koroth Raghuprasad of Odessa received U.S. Patent 8,062,216 for “Otoscope with attachable ear wax removal device.”

Texas Business Patent Of The Day:  A West Texas man developed a new way to look inside your ear, and remove your earwax.

Puthalath Koroth Raghuprasad of Odessa received U.S. Patent 8,062,216 for “Otoscope with attachable ear wax removal device.”

Raghuprasad filed for the patent more than two years ago on July 14, 2009.

His invention relates to a device for removing ear wax or cerumen from the ear canal while providing a means for viewing the ear canal during the wax removal. 

Cerumen or ear wax is a waxy substance produced in the ear canal, according to Raghuprasad’s patent documents.  Wax buildup is due to accumulation of cerumen as well as dirt and debris. However, excess production or impaction of cerumen can press painfully against the ear drum and can also impair hearing. Ear wax buildup can also interfere with hearing aids. 

There are several methods of removing excess cerumen. A common method is to syringe the ear canal with warm water flushing the cerumen out with the water. Various solutions of oils, peroxide, glycerine or detergents are also used to flush the ear canal. Cotton swabs are also commonly used, but not recommended as they generally only remove a small amount of wax and push the rest further into the ear canal. 

Physically picking or scraping the earwax out with an ear pick or curette is yet another method of removing ear wax usually performed by a health professional under direct observation with magnification. 

A less common method is ear candling which is the practice of lighting a specially made hollow ear candle and placing the unlit end in the patient's ear. It is claimed to create a slight vacuum that draws out debris and wax. 

There are some complications or risks associated with these various types of ear wax removal such as damage to the ear drum from excess pressure or physically perforating the ear drum. 

A key limitation in the removal of ear wax or cerumen is the inability to directly observe the ear canal. A device called an otoscope provides a way to see into the ear canal. The otoscope has a handle and a head with a light source and a magnifying lens with a removable ear speculum that attaches to the front. The speculum is inserted into the external ear canal allowing the examiner to look through the lens into the ear canal. Many models have a detachable sliding rear window allowing instruments to be inserted through the speculum into the ear canal that could be used for removing ear wax. The otoscope can only be used to observe the ear canal before or after flushing, but not during actual ear wax removal as a result the physician must repeatedly stop flushing to observe the progress being made. 

An object of the present invention is to be able to visually observe the ear wax removal during flushing or vacuuming of the fluid and dislodged debris from the ear canal. This objective is achieved as are other features by the use of the present invention described as follows. 

Raghuprasad’s otoscope kit has an otoscope and an attachable ear wax removal device for ear wax removal. The otoscope has an elongated gripping body; a hollow conical ear speculum, having a small outer end with a protective soft collar adapted to be placed in the entrance of the ear canal of a patient, the ear speculum being transversely connected to a top end of the gripping body; a viewing means connected to said top end of the gripping body to provide a line of sight through said ear speculum; a light source which is directed through the ear speculum; and a fluid dispensing means which is removably attached to the otoscope for ejecting fluid through an ear speculum cover into the ear canal, the fluid dispensing means being secured to the gripping body of the otoscope. The attachable ear wax removal device is a fluid dispensing means which preferably includes a dispensing housing, a fluid supply and dispensing container, a pump, a tube connected to the fluid supply and dispensing container at one end extending and connected to an opening in the speculum cover. The fluid dispensing means is controlled by an actuator switch that is mounted in an opening of the dispensing housing wherein the actuation of the fluid dispensing means occurs without blocking the line of sight through the viewing means. 

The speculum is removably attached to the top end of the gripping body. The speculum cover is adapted to fit onto the speculum without blocking the covering opening. The speculum cover has a fluid delivery passageway with a connector for sealingly engaging the tubing to form a fluid path from the fluid supply and dispensing container through the speculum cover for delivering fluid into the ear canal. The speculum cover fluid passageway has an inlet connector end open through the passageway to an outlet end to make a fluid path through the speculum cover. 

The fluid dispensing means further can have a fluid recovery means having a vacuum pump, a fluid and debris recovery container and a tube for connecting the fluid recovery container to a second connector in the speculum cover. The fluid recovery means is controlled by a second actuator switch mounted in an opening of the dispensing housing. The speculum cover has a second vacuum fluid passageway open to a second suction opening in the speculum cover and extending through the speculum cover to the second vacuum connector for attachment of a vacuum tube which is connected to the fluid and debris recovery container to form a fluid and debris recovery passageway for recovering fluid and debris from the ear canal into the fluid recovery container. The second vacuum passageway preferably is formed as a large channel open to the ear canal of the patient and extending back to a bowl shaped trap portion to which an ear wax debris container is connected to the speculum cover on a lower side of the speculum cover. In this way ear wax is drawn into the container under vacuum and falls into the debris container as the fluid is sucked out of the ear canal into the second vacuum passageway and tubing back into the fluid recovery container. The speculum cover when attached to the speculum seals the second vacuum passageway channel internally near the debris container. 

Preferably, the fluid delivery passageway is positioned on an external surface of the speculum cover and the fluid and debris recovery passageway is positioned on a lower internal surface of the speculum cover. The otoscope has a power source for operating the otoscope. The power source can be an electrical cord connected to the gripping body for connecting a plug into an electrical outlet. Alternatively, the power source can be one or more batteries stored in the gripping body and fluid dispensing means and the otoscope can also include a recharging base for recharging the batteries. The speculum cover can be disposable for replacement after each use as can be the fluid supply and dispensing container and the fluid recovery container and tubing or alternatively can be reused after cleaning and disinfecting.