ENT, Upper, and Lower Respiratory Problems Flashcards
Conductive Hearing Loss
- Inability of ossicles to conduct sound properly
- involves external auditory canal or middle ear
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- Inability of eardrum to vibrate in response to sound
- Involves the inner ear or 8th cranial nerve
Normal Weber Test
the patient hears sound equally in both ears
Normal Rhine Test
the patient hears the sound beside the ear twice as long as when it is placed on the mastoid bone
- air conduction should be twice as long as bone conduction
Causes of Conductive Hearing Loss
- Cerumen impaction
- damage to ossicles
- tympanic membrane perforation
- serous otitis media
- tympanosclerosis
- myringosclerosis
- cholesteatoma
- otosclerosis
- foreign object in ear canal
- tumors
- scarring on eardrum
- repeated otitis
Causes of Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- Acoustic neuroma
- Meniere’s disease
- Ototoxic drugs (ASA, gentamycin)
- Injury due to noise
- Childhood infections (mumps, meningitis, scarlet fever)
Causes of bacterial otitis externa
- pseudomonas (most common)
- staphylococcus
- streptococcus
** 98% of otitis externa cases are bacterial
Causes of Fungal Otitis Externa
- aspergillus (most common)
- candida albicans
Risk Factors for Otitis Externa
- swimming
- hearing aid use
- DM
- hot/humid climates
- trauma to external canal
- not drying ears
- absence of cerumen
- alteration of pH of ear canal
Clinical Manifestations of Otitis Externa
- otalgia/conductive hearing loss
- edema and redness in the external auditory canal
- itching in the external auditory canal
- otorrhea
- tragal/pinna pain
- normal TM
- fever (occasional)
- tinnitus
- bilateral involvement is RARE
Otorrhea Appearance in Otitis Externa (Acute Bacterial)
scant, white mucus, may be thick
Otorrhea Appearance in Otitis Externa (Chronic Bacterial)
bloody if granulation tissue present
Otorrhea Appearance in Otitis Externa (Fungal)
fluffy and white to off-white, may be black, grey, bluish-green, or yellow
Diagnostics of Otitis Externa
- culture of discharge
- otoscopy: the TM will move
Prevention of Otitis Externa
- Avoid prolonged ear exposure to warm, humid conditions
- Use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar (50/50) or 2% acetic acid (if TM not perforated or tubes not present) to use as drops after swimming to help dry ear and restore pH
- Dry ears after showering, profuse perspiration, and swimming
- Do not place object in the ear which may cause trauma to the external auditory canal
- Treat ear infections aggressively
- Can also use hair dryer on low heat to dry ear
Treatment of Mild Otitis External (TM intact)
Topical acetic acid/hydrocortisone combination for 7 days
Treatment of Moderate Otitis Externa (TM intact)
- Ciprofloxacin-hydrocortisone
- Neomycin-polymyxin B-hydrocortisone
Treatment of Otitis Externa (TM not intact)
Topical Fluoroquinolones for 7 days
- ciprofloxacin-dexamethasone
- ciprofloxacin
- ofloxacin
Treatment of Otitis Externa (If TM not intact and Fluoroquinolones ineffective)
- Refer to ENT, then begin empiric oral antibiotics
- Levofloxacin 500mg PO QD
- Ciprofloxacin 500mg PO BID
- Cefuroxime 500mg PO BID
- Augmentin 875mg PO BID
** Should be tailored based on culture results
Treatment of Otitis Externa (If TM not intact and pt cannot tolerate fluoroquinolones)
- Refer to ENT
- Obtain culture
- Start empiric oral antibiotics
- cefuroxime 500mg PO BID
- Augmentin 875mg PO BID
When to Refer Otitis Externa
- Consider referral if evidence of systemic involvement (fever)
- Lack of response to therapy
- Recurrent or persistent otitis exerna
Expected Course of Otitis Externa
- Improvement in 48-72 hours with treatment
- Resolution in a few days
- Abstain from water sports and wetting the head for 7-10 days during treatment
- Instruct patient not to insert cotton in ears to absorb drainage; can prolong or cause fungal superinfections
Otitis Media
- middle ear infections
- most common in kids 6-18 months
Otitis Media Causes
- Usually caused by an upper respiratory illness
- Strep pneumoniae
- H. influenzae
Risk Factors for Otitis Media
- Daycare attendance
- Poverty
- Secondhand smoke exposure
- Cleft palate, Down’s syndrome
- Fall and winter seasons
- Male
- Preceding respiratory infection
Clinical Manifestations of Otitis Media
- Otalgia
- Distorted TM landmarks, displaced light reflex of TM, decreased TM mobility
- Cloudy, dull, opaque, or erythematous TM
- Irritability, crying, sleep disturbance (nonverbal)
- Fever
Otitis Media Prevention
- Breastfeeding for first 3 months
- Avoiding cigarette smoke
- Do not lie down with bottle or pacifier
- Immunization with PCV 13 and flu vaccine
- Elimination of pacifier in 2nd 6 months of life
- Frequent handwashing and toy cleaning
Treatment of Otitis Media
- Amoxicillin 875mg
- Augmentin 875/125 PO BID
- Augmentin 2000/125 ER PO BID
- Secondary Options: cefdinir, cefpodoxime, cefuroxime, or IM ceftriaxone
** Ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain
When to Refer Otitis Media
- ENT referral for recurrent OM (3 presentations in 6 months OR 4 in 1 year)
- Emergency treatment needed for signs of mastoiditis and/or meningitis
- Refer if language delay detected (audiology/ENT as well as speech therapy)
- Refer/consult for neonates
Expected Course for Otitis Media
- Improvement in 48-72 hours
- At 4 weeks, approximately 50% have MEE (middle ear effusion)
- At 3 months approximately 10% have MEE
Possible Complications of Otitis Media
- TM perforation
- Conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss
- Acute mastoiditis
- Meningitis
- Epidural abscess
- Language delay form hearing loss
Acute Rhinosinusitis
- usually due to viral etiology
- usually self-limiting: treat symptoms
- duration of symptoms > 10 days - may be bacterial
- imaging is not required
- antibiotics are only recommended in immunocompromised patients or those with severe disease
Risk Factors for Acute Rhinosinusitis
- Viral URI
- Allergic rhinitis
- Cigarette smoking
- Swimming in contaminated water
Clinical Manifestations of Acute Rhinosinusitis
- if symptoms last < 10 day, then its viral
- if symptoms last > 10 days but less than 4 weeks, then its bacterial
- symptoms that worsen after an initial improvement (bacterial)
- Cough (worse at night)
- Nasal discharge (starts watery then get prurulent)
- Facial pain/pressure (more common in adults)
- Anosmia
- Halitosis
Acute Rhinosinusitis Treatment (viral)
- symptom treatment (rest, hydration, warm facial packs, vitamin C, zinc)
- tylenol or ibuprofen
- decongestant (oxymetazoline nasal spray for 3-5 days)
- Intranasal corticosteroid (mometasone nasal spray for 1 month)
- Ipratropium-ipratropium bromide nasal spray (anticholinergic)
- Saline nasal spray or irrigation
Acute Rhinosinusitis Treatment for Immunocompromised/severe illness patient (Bacterial)
- Augmentin 500/125 PO TID
- Augmentin 875/125 PO BID for 5-10 days
- Clindamycin 300mg PO Q8h x 10 days
- Cefpodoxime 200mg Q12h x 10 days
- Doxycycline 100mg PO QD
Acute Rhinosinusitis Treatment for Immunocompromised/non-severe illness patient (Bacterial)
- watchful waiting for up to 10 days
- if not better after days, then consider the illness severe and treat accordingly
When to Refer Acute Rhinosinusitis
- Refer to ENT for recurrent infections or treatment-resistant infections; may require endoscopic surgical intervention
- Symptoms of physical exam findings of unilateral facial pressure/pain, nasal drainage and/or polypoid nasal masses warrant referral to ENT: concern for etiologies other than chronic rhinosinusitis
- Consider immediate referral for periorbital cellulitis
- Emergency care if meningitis is suspected
Chronic Sinusitis
- lasting more than 12 weeks
- diagnosis is clinical initially
- CT may be needed if initial medical treatment fails
Chronic Sinusitis Treatment
- nasal saline irrigation
- topical intranasal corticosteroids
- oral antibiotics
- oral corticosteroids
- antihistamines
- leukotriene receptor antagonists
- Functional endoscopic sinus surgery is effective for patients unresponsive to medical treatment
Pharyngitis
- infection and inflammation of the pharynx and surrounding lymph tissue
- Bacterial pharyngitis is more common in winter
- More common in school age children during the winter months
- Goal of treatment is to prevent acute rheumatic fever
Viral Causes of Pharyngitis
- Epstein Barr virus
- adenovirus
- enterovirus
- flu A and B
- parainfluenza
- COVID