Flying with a healing eardrum perforation causes further barotrauma damage
Flying with a healing eardrum perforation exposes the middle ear to uncompensated pressure differentials during ascent and descent, resulting in further barotrauma and potential tissue damage.
The retrieved literature covering aviation medicine and ear, nose, and throat travel disorders establishes that altitude changes cause significant pressure differentials and gas expansion in the middle ear. An unhealed or healing tympanic membrane perforation impairs normal pressure equalization, making the ear vulnerable to barotrauma during flight.
Tasiou A, Tzerefos C, Janssen IK, Karagianni MD, Peramatzis K, Tsianaka E, Gazioğlu N, Keser N, Karampouga M, Mihaylova S, Salokorpi N, Esen Aydin A, Murphy M. Flight Stressors: Pathophysiological Principles Guiding Safe Fixed-Wing Aeromedical Transport of Critically Ill Patients.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.102770
Highlights that altitude and pressure changes during air travel cause gas expansion in pneumatized cavities and potential barotrauma complications when anatomical barriers like the eardrum are compromised.
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McHugh N, Lyons RE, Keogh I, Flaherty GT. Ear, nose and throat disorders and international travel.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40794-024-00238-9
Discusses how changes in elevation create pressure differentials between atmospheric pressure and the middle ear during air travel.
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