Epidemiology of otorhinolaryngologic emergencies in a secondary hospital: analysis of 64,054 cases

To determine the incidence and distribution of care in relation to urgent otorhinolaryngologic pathologies by the different medical specialist units. A descriptive, observational and retrospective study was conducted of patients seen by the Emergency Service at a secondary hospital over the course of 7 years (2011–2017). A total of 546,701 patients were seen during the period in question, of which 64,054 presented with otorhinolaryngologic symptoms. The attendance rate was 450/1000 inhabitants/year. The most frequent diagnoses were upper respiratory tract infection, with 13,639 cases (21.3%), tonsillopharyngitis, with 10,150 cases (15.8%) and vertigo/dizziness with 8761 cases (13.7%). Patients seen by the Hospital Emergency Service physicians and those referred to the Otorhinolaryngology or Paediatric Units were analysed both together and separately. The Hospital Emergency Service dealt with 77.1% of the cases, and referred 15.4% to the Otorhinolaryngology Unit and 7.5% to the Paediatrics Unit. Within the subgroup of patients referred to the Otorhinolaryngology Unit, the most frequent diagnoses were problems related to inflammatory ear disease (25.6%), followed by cervicofacial trauma (15.4%) and bleeding with otorhinolaryngologic symptoms (12.5%). The percentage of hospital admissions for the entire sample was 3%, while for patients referred to the Otorhinolaryngology Unit this figure was 6.8%. A large percentage of patients presenting at the Hospital Emergency Service do so with otorhinolaryngologic symptoms, and the vast majority are treated effectively by the physicians in that service and are referred to the specialist services on the basis of sound criteria.