Watch: KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian doctor discovers ‘kutu’ living in man’s ear
VIDEO IS GRAPHIC. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
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KUALA LUMPUR: An ear, nose and throat specialist here had the shock of his career when he peered into a patient’s aural orifice recently.
Dr Rahmat Omar, 49, was conducting an exploratory procedure on a man who was suffering intense pain in one of his ears, The Mirror reported.
While scrutinising the man’s ear canal with an endoscope, Rahmat was startled to stumble onto the swanky nest of a live ‘kutu’, or tick.
Fellow Malaysians can thank the good doctor for having filmed his encounter with the parasite, as a clip of the video was uploaded to social media for our viewing pleasure.
The 3-minute-13-second footage shows the tick clinging to the wall of the patient’s ear canal, surrounded by days’ worth of faecal matter (suggesting not only that it had been there for days, but that it is a complete slob). The grey arachnid is unusually large and noticeably engorged, having feasted non-stop on its poor host’s blood.
Rahmat first attempts to remove the tick using a surgical suction hose, but it soon becomes clear that the unwelcome guest – its legs wriggling with irritation – had burrowed its head deep into the patient’s skin and was not budging.
The doctor then switches to Plan B and brings in the big guns – a pair of tweezers. He tugs on the parasite with some effort – and the section of skin into which the tick had buried itself stretches alarmingly. After a brief struggle, the tick is finally pulled loose – but only because a patch of the stretched skin rips off, leaving behind a bright pink wound.
The evicted parasite is later seen flailing around on a roll of gauze, refusing to surrender the patch of ripped-off skin clenched in its jaws. At least it will have a memento of its stay.
Rahmat was later quoted by The Mirror as saying: “It’s certainly the first time I had ever seen this, and I hope I never have to do this again.”
The video continues with Rahmat performing the more mundane task of clearing out thick globs of wax from the patient’s ear. Someone has to do it.
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