Epidemiological Profile of Otorhinolaryngological Emergencies at a Medical College, in Rural Area of Gujarat

Otorhinolaryngological (ORL) emergencies are common in all communities and their early diagnosis and management will result in reduction in morbidity and mortality. As the horizons of otorhinolaryngology are widening, management of patients with protocol based quality care becomes prime priority. This study has been done to study the (a) Prevalence of ENT emergencies in TEC (trauma and emergency care), (b) Pattern and distribution of ENT emergencies in relation to age, sex and diagnosis, (c) Outcome in terms of disposition from TEC ward. This will help us in identifying preventive measure for some of ENT emergencies and to improve treatment protocols if required. Type of study: Cross sectional retrospective descriptive study of 1 year duration. Records of patients who attended trauma care from 1st July 2009 to 30 June 2010 were studied under various parameters like age, sex and diagnosis and outcome. Major section was of facio-maxillary trauma (84.0%) followed by foreign bodies (5.8%), then others. 145 patients were discharged from the casualty, 518 were admitted and five were expired due to causes other then ENT e.g. head or abdominal injury. Different problems, their mode of management and outcomes are discussed here. With urbanization, facio-maxillary trauma constitutes the maximum workload amongst other emergencies like foreign body, ENT infections and burns and owing to the complex anatomy of face and neck, it is need of the hour for ORL surgeons to widen their scope of cases addressed and managed in emergency wards.