[Blast injuries of the ear in military artillerymen]

Hearing impairment was examined in a group of 1073 soldiers artillerymen during regular training of shooting from artillery weapons of different calibers. Immediately after shooting the transient increase of hearing threshold (fatigue) of different degrees was found in 907 (84,25%) of the examined. Contusion and rupture of the eardrum were more commonly found in the right ear which confirmed the "phenomenon of screening". At admission it was found that 22,5% of soldiers suffered from different diseases of the ear, nose and throat while at discharge this percentage was increased for 6,4%. A significantly higher number of blast ear injuries were found in soldiers with positive ORL findings compared to those who had normal findings before shooting. There is no correlation between the caliber of artillery weapons and the degree of hearing impairment.