The nurse should place a sterile pad over the external ear.
Why should the nurse do so?
Lowered level of consciousness indicates towards a potential head injury, and drainage from the ear may be cerebrospinal fluid.
A sterile pad gently placed over the external ear will absorb the drainage and also prevents infection. It can also help detect the halo sign.
If a cerebrospinal fluid leak is suspected, irrigating the ear with normal saline is contraindicated. In the external meatus of the ear, packing a cotton ball or inserting a cotton-tipped swab may be traumatic and may even injure the ear further. It will also obstruct the free flow of drainage.
Therefore, the nurse should gently place a sterile pad over the external ear.
Learn about serosanguinous drainage here: https://brainly.com/question/29648695
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