Epidemiological Profile of Pediatric Ear Nose Throat Emergencies

Abstract

Objectives: Ear, nose and throat (ENT) diseases are among the most common pathologies in the community, some of which may have high morbidity and mortality if early diagnosis and appropriate treatment approaches are not applied. Pediatric patients form an important part of emergency department admissions. The emergency diseases observed in children are different from the adult patient group and the diagnosis and treatment approaches differ accordingly. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiological features and approach methods among the pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department. Materials and Methods: Between 2016 and 2017, the data of 1732 patients younger than 18 years who were referred by the pediatric emergency to ENT department were retrospectively reviewed. Age, gender, admission Complaints, diagnosis, additional diseases, radiological and laboratory tests and treatment approaches were evaluated. Results: Among the patients included in the study, 751 were male (52.4%), 681 were female (47.5%); The average age was 7.2 years. Altı yüz seksen yedi (48.8%) patients were referred for rhinologic reasons, 515 (36.9%) patients had otologic complaints, while 73 (5.09%) patients had oral cavity and 44 (3.5%) patients had head and neck region related complains. The number of hospitalized patients was 41 (2.86%) patients. Yirmi dokuz (2.02%) patients were treated with surgical intervention. Conclusion: The majority of patients presenting with ENT related complains to pediatric emergency services may be examined and treated in the emergency unit without referring to ENT department. Most of the referred patients complain from simple trauma, minor epistaxis or simple infections. However, patients presenting with severe trauma or a foreign body that can cause aspiration should be evaluated as soon as possible and treated accordingly.