HEENT Flashcards
In young children, persistent purulent discharge from the nose should cause you to consider ___ or __
foreign body or choanal atresia
tx for viral URIs
- supportive
- nasal irrigation w/ NS using a bulb syringe every few hours (Parents can buy the solution or gel or can make it at home)
- honey for cough (contraindicated in children less than 1)
- humidifers- congestion
*Cough/cold preparations are contraindicated in children less than 2y/o and not recommended in those less than 6 y/o
what is the tx for someone who screens positive for OSA and has positive PE
- send for sleep study/refer to ENT
- tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy
- CPAP machine – provides positive pressure to keep their airway open while they sleep
when do the facial sinuses develop?
The maxillary sinuses aren’t fully developed until age 4 years and sphenoid and frontal are developing from age 5 into adolescence,
*this makes bacterial sinusitis unlikely in these very young children.
tx of malignant otitis externa
parenteral antimicrobial, expended spectrum PCN (mezlocillin, cephalosporin)
____% of school-age kids harbor GAS in their oropharynx, even when well.
Up to 20%
- usually within the pits and crypts of their tonsils, from previous GAS pharyngitis episodes.
- This erroneously leads parents to believe that their child “gets strep throat” every time they get a cold
serious eye infections
include periorbital or pre-septal cellulitis, and orbital or post-septal cellulitis
why do you treat GAS pharyngitis?
children to avoid the complication of post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis or rheumatic fever
*prevented if started 1/in 9 days of illness
how do you treat dacryostenosis
- massage of the inner canthus of the eye several times a day will usually resolve the problem by the age of 4-6 months
- Antibiotic eye drops are sometimes necessary when the discharge becomes purulent due to the stagnation of normal tear flow.
- If not resolved by age 6 months, refer to ophthalmology for probing of the tear duct which usually opens it
Guideline of diagnosing AOM
based on evidence of
- acute ear pain for more than 48 hrs,
- bulging TM,
- +/- fever,
- new onset of otorrhea which is presumptive evidence of a ruptured TM secondary to AOM in pediatric patients
tx for sinusitis
supportive– nasal steroids are helpful
-Amoxicillin(45-90mg/kg
Augmentin (45-90mg/kg)
Cefdinir, Cefuroxime, Cefpodoxime
same as for AOM and MEE)
what organism most commonly causes otitis externa
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pools and lakes) Staphylococcus aureus
what should a red reflex look like?
- red glow w/ no opacities
- different ethnicities have different appearance of RR (African ancestry has white “red” reflex)
what are the most common organism that cause AOM
- Streptococcus pneumonia
- Haemophilus influenza
- Moraxella catarrhalis
- Group A strep
- Rhinovirus
- influenza
- RSV
When children present with sore throat, ___ are caused by viruses and will resolve without intervention.
90%
tx of bacterial conjunctivitis
Polytrim, Vigamox or Ocuflox, and erythromycin ointment in infants
Sx of GAS besides sore throat
- abrupt onset HA
- upset stomach/vomiting
- sandpaper rash to their trunk and groin (likely have scarlet fever)
Causes of unequal RR intensity
- large refractive error
- strabismus
*needs referral to ophthalmology
what is otitis media
suppurative infection of the middle ear
sx of URIs
- rhinorrhea
- presence of yellow-green nasal discharge around day 3-4 ( not indicative of secondary bacterial sinusitis)
what is external hordeolum and how do you treat it
aka stye
- acute inflammation of the glands of zeis
- warm compresses to unplug the gland and antibiotic eye drops for the infection.
- Expect resolution within 2-3 days.
how to prevent otitis externa
- avoid overvigorous cleaning of an asymptomatic auditory canal
- drying auditory canals w/ acetic acid (2%), burow solution, or diuted isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol after swimming
- avoid underwater gear (ear plugs/diving equipment)
what is the scoring system to determine who should be tested for GAS?
1 point for each of the following that are present:
- Age 5-15y,
- late fall to early spring presentation,
- pharyngeal erythema, edema or exudates on exam,
- tender, greater than 1cm anterior cervical LAD,
- fever 101-103,
- absence of URI symptoms such as cough and rhinorrhea
*Patients with scores 5 (50%) or 6+ (85%) are more likely to have a positive rapid strep and/or throat culture
how to tx Allergic conjunctivitis, even chemosis
antihistamine eye drops such as Patanol or Pataday (QD formula), or Naphcon and Ketotifen which are OTC
what kids should be referred to ENT for MEE
Children who do not resolve their MEE by 3 months, those who have MEE and are losing language/not gaining language, or have a hx of speech delay/learning issues should be referred to ENT for consideration of myringotomy and pressure-equalization (PE) tubes.
how often should you check a child’s vision and why?
- in preschool and annually in elementary
- its important to realize that the visual cortex of the brain is developing until about the age of 9 years, so any visual deficit, whatever the cause, could cause the visual cortex to not develop properly which is an uncorrectable condition beyond the age of 9 years, even if the underlying disorder is identified and treated
most common pharyngeal abscess
peritonsillar abscess
-which begins as a cellulitis due usually to GAS and then walls off into an abscess
how does one typically get an orbital cellulitis
infections are usually a spread from sinusitis which has eroded through the orbital bone or sometimes from eye trauma
what is the recipe for normal saline?
1/4 tsp salt in 8oz water
2 reasons why S. pneumo may be resistant to PCN and its tx to overcome in AOM
- due to mutations which have resulted in cell wall resistance to PCN– overcome by higher PCN dose
- the ability to produce beta-lactamase, an enzyme which inactivates PCN– use augmentin (high dose PCN + clavulanic acid)- neutralizes the beta-lactamase enzyme
when should F/U with AOM occur
4 weeks (or 2)
- it is important to give time for the middle ear effusion, which always follows AOM, to have a chance to resolve before the next exam.
- if patients are not improving in their symptoms after 2-3 days of antibiotics, a follow-up visit is indicated usually with a change of antibiotics.
how should you tx AOM caused by mophilus influenzae or moraxella catarrhalis
2nd line therapy tends to be more effective against these other 2 bacteria, as they often produce beta-lactamase
how do you tx AOM
*if younger than 2 or have fever greater than 39C or otalgia–> amoxicillin (80-90mg/kg/day divided in 2 doses)
when does otitis externa occur mostly
- in summer (not like AOM which is in winter)
- cleaning auidotry canal, swimming and diving disrupt the integrity of the cutaneous lining of the ear canal and local defenses such as cerumen
when do you screen a child for OSA?
all children w/ risk factors and sx of OSA at well child care visits
20% of children w/ ___ also develop otitis externa
tympanostomy tubes
*associated w/ S. aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, proteus, Klebsiella
malignant otitis externa is cuased by what
P. aeruginosa in immunocompromised people or adults with diabetes
-complications and prognosis of otitis externa
-resolves 1-2 days after treatment starts
- malignant otitis externa: insavison of the bone of the base of the skull–> cranial nerve palsies
- relapses in 1st year are common
How does an otitis media develop?
- bacteria gains access to the middle ear when the normal patency of the eustachian tube is blocked by upper airway infection or hypertrophied adenoids
- air trapped in middle ear is resorbed, creating neg. pressure in this cavity and facilitating reflux of nasopharyngeal bacteria
sx of herpetic conjunctivitis
- significnat eye pain
- photophobia
*Do a fluorescein stain if in doubt. This patient needs an ophthalmologist.
when is viral conjunctivitis common
w/ hx of recurrent URIs
tx for orbital cellulitis
- need to have the eye orbit debrided surgically, so an ENT consult is in order
- are treated with cefotaxime or ceftriaxone and clindamycin
*there is a significant risk of infectious spread to the brain, so speed and vigilance are important.
Major risk factors for AOM
- young age
- Lack of breastfeeding
- Passive exposure to tobacco smoke
- increased exposure to infectious agents (ie. in day care)
how to distinguish AOM from serious otitis media
reveals air/fluid levels consistent with serous otitis media
sx of otitis externa
- pain and tenderness (esp. w/ moving pinna or tragus or chewing)
- aural discharge
- canal is erythematous and inflammed
- Malignant OE: facial nerve palsy
- fever is notably absent and hearing is unaffected
____ is a significant cause of blindness in the U.S
Who is at risk?
Retinopathy of prematurity
- Premature infants born at less than 32 wks gestation or less than 1500 gm are at risk for the retina to not develop appropriate blood vessels
- initial exam at 4-6 weeks after delivery, and repeat screening every 1-2 weeks
what are the different types of strabismus
- esotropia (turning inward)
- exotropia (turning outward)
- hypertropia (turning upward)
- hypotropia (turning downward)
Periorbital cellulitis is usually secondary to ___ and the organism is usually ____
skin disruption such as from an insect bite, scratch, etc. and the organism is usually staph or strep.
If you look carefully, you will note a small trauma to their lower eyelids at the lateral edge. The skin around the eye is in that facial area for serious complications.
tx of viral conjunctiviits
self-limiting
-often prescribe antibiotic eye drops because they often will develop secondary bacterial conjunctivitis
- All negative rapid strep tests need a ____ due to low sensitivity (as much as 30% false negative).
- It is therefore recommended that the patients with a score of 5 be tested by ___ only as they have a higher likelihood of being negative, and this will prevent doing unnecessary dual testing.
- Patients with scores of 6+ should be tested with ___
confirmatory culture
throat culture
-rapid strep tests, as they are very likely to be positive and a follow-up culture is not necessary.
how do you determine the size of adenoidal tissue in a child
soft tissue xray of lateral neck
when do you consider pharyngeal abscess
sx: severe sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing and talking
PE: bulging soft palate and a deviated uvula if an abscess has formed, but just unilateral edema and erythema if still in the cellulitis phase
*BC the abscess limits the mobility of their tongue, they often talk as if they just took a bite of hot food and they are trying to manage it- the “hot potato” voice
what is a red reflex w/ a stellate dark lesion located centrally and what do you do?
congenital cataract-needs immediate referral as it needs to be removed before the age of 6 weeks to avoid blindness
what does the cover/uncover test screen for?
ambylopia “aka lazy eye”
(when the vision in one of the eyes is reduced because the eye and the brain are not working together properly. The eye itself looks normal, but it is not being used normally because the brain is favoring the other eye)