ENT Flashcards
What are the major fxns of the ears?
collecting and transporting sound vibrations to the brain and maintaining the send of eq.
What is the only external visible organ of the respiratory system?
nose
What are the 4 paranasal sinuses?
- sphenoid
- maxillary
- frontal
- ethmoid
While assessing an infants ears how should you examine the tympanic membrane?
pull the earlobe down and back
How does the eustachian tube differ in infants from adults and children?
the tube is shorter, straighter and more level
What is another term for middle ear infection?
otitis media
What causes flushing when a child is experiencing an otitis media?
the tympanic appears red causing the flushing
How do you rule out bacterial otitis media for a child?
the tympanic is red but there is no purulent discharge in the middle ear space
The frontal sinuses only cause infection in which age groups?
older school age and adolescents
What is the reason that children under the age of 5 have yellow-green nasal discharge during URI?
b/c they cannot efficiently clear their nasal passages
What is rhinitis?
inflammation of the nasal cavity
What are some changes that occur during pregnancy?
- earaches
- hyperemia causes rhinitis
- epistaxis
- heightened sense of smell
- hoarseness or deepening of the voice
- gingivitis
- hyperplastic overgrowth
What are some changes that occur in an older adult?
- coarse hair at the auditory meatus
- paler in color and thicker appearance of tympanic membrane
- loss of high-frequency tones
- sense and taste diminish
- decrease saliva production
What are some effects of the psychosocial?
- mouth ulcers
- tics
- lip biting
What is presbycusis?
gradual hearing loss with age
Cheilitis
an increase of saliva in older adults cause angular stomatitis which manifests as tissue inflammation at the corners of the mouth
What are the techniques used to examine the ENT?
- Inspection
- palpation
- Percussion
- Transillumination
What is binaural hearing?
meaning that the brain is capable of simultaneously integrating information that is received from both ears
When obs. the ears what are you assessing?
ears are symmetric in
- size
- shape
- color
- configuration
How should the external ear canal present itself normally?
open, nontender and free of lesions, inflammation or foreign substances
How should the tympanic membrane present itself?
flat, gray, and translucent w/o lesions
What should you normally see in the external nose?
- free of lesions
- patent nares
- mucosa of the nasal cavity is dark pink and smooth
What should you normally see in the nasal septum?
midline, straight, and intact
normal findings of sinuses
nontender and transilluminate
What is the typical order for an assessment of the ENT?
- ears
- Romberg test
- Nose
- Sinuses
- external mouth
- internal structures of the mouth
- throat assessment
What is another term for hard nodules?
tophi
If a pt has tophi what could this indicate?
gout, tophi are uric acid crystals
Mastoiditis
inflammation or infection of the mastoid bone
If a pt has mastoiditis, is it difficult to treat? Results?
it is very difficult to treat, the infxn can spread to the brain easily
What are 2 interventions if there is too much cerumen?
- remove with a cerumen spoon
2. if dry use a bulb syringe and warmed sol of mineral oil and hydrogen peroxide
What do white patches on the tympanic membrane indicate?
scars from prior infxn
What does it mean if the TM is yellow or reddish?
otitis media
What does a bulging TM indicate?
increased P
What does a retracted membrane indicate?
vacuum in the middle ear due to blocked eustachian tube
What is the purpose of a Whisper test?
evaluates hearing acuity of high freq sounds
What are tuning forks used to evaluate?
auditory acuity
What is the purpose of the Rinne Test?
compares air and bone conduction when placed at the base of the mastoid process (bone) and in front of the auditory meatus
What are the normal findings in a Rinne Test?
the sound is heard 2x as long by air than bone
What indicates conductive hearing loss in the Rinne test?
if the pt hears bone conduction as long or longer than air
What is the purpose of the Weber test?
uses bone conduction to evaluate hearing for a pt who hears better better in ibe ear than in the other
What is nursing Dx for a pt who cannot breath through each naris?
Ineffective breathing pattern or mouth breathing rt nasal swelling or trauma
If the mucosa is swollen and red in the nares what does this indicate?
URI
If the nares mucosa is pale, boggy or swollen what does this indicate?
chronic allergies
What are found in pts with allergies?
nasal polyps
If you palpate the sinuses and they are tender what may this indicate?
chronic allergies or sinusitis
When you transilluminate the sinus and does transilluminate what does this mean?
the sinus is filled with fluid
If the maxillary sinuses do not transilluminate what may this indicate?
inflammation of the sinuses
Describe the tongue if a pt is dehydrated?
smooth, coated or hairy
What does it mean if a pt has a small tongue?
undernutrition
Tremor of the tongue indicates what?
dyfxn of the hypoglossal nerve (XII)
What does the breath of a kidney disease resemble?
ammonia
If there is a dark spot on the eardrum what may this indicate?
trauma or infection
Can a scarred tympanic membrane cause hearing loss?
no
What are some causes of a deviated septum?
chronic infxn, trauma, or sniffing cocaine
What is the difference between acute rhinitis and allergic rhinitis?
acute is caused by a virus while allergic results from contact with allergen
Ankyloglossia
fixation of the tip of the tongue to the floor of the mouth
Aphtous Ulcers “canker sores”
small, round, white, painful lesions occurring singularly or in clusters on the oral mucosa
Black hairy tongue
a temp condition caused by the inhibitor of normal bacteria and overgrowth of fungi may be due to antibiotics
What causes atrophic glossitis?
smooth red shiny appearance is a result vitamin B and FE deficiency
