Emergencies of the ear, nose and throat

The pediatrician must be familiar with emergency presentations of ear, nose and throat problems and their management. These fall into two main categories, infections and trauma. Most can be treated within the Emergency Department (ED) on an ambulatory basis, but some are more serious and even life threatening and require the urgent attention of an otolaryngologist and an anesthetist. This chapter covers clinical presentation and management of the commonest ear, nose and throat problems presenting to the ED.