Pattern of Otorhinolaryngological Admissions via Emergency Unit in a Suburban Tertiary Center

BACKGROUND: Patients with ORL lesions sometimes present to the general emergency room. This study reviews the common ENT admissions via emergency room in a sub-urban town in Nigeria METHODS: A retrospective study spanning five years from January 2009 to December 2013 RESULTS: A total of 211 cases consisting of 131 (62.1%) males with male: female ratio 1.6: 1 and a mean age of 32.8 ± 22.4 years. About a quarter of the patients were children, the peak age was 21-40 years (in 37%). The common indications for emergency otorhinolaryngological admissions were Epistaxis (16.1%), Nasal/facial trauma (14.7%), pharyngo-esophageal foreign bodies (13.3%) and upper airway obstruction (8.1%). Majority 16 (57.1%) of the Pharyngo-esophageal FBs occurred in children. Most of the airway obstructions in children were due to juvenile recurrent respiratory papillomatosis while laryngeal cancer was the major cause among the adult. Sixty percent had surgical procedures, 86.7% had satisfactory outcome and mortalities were recorded in 1.4%. CONCLUSION: Majority of causes for ORL admissions via emergency unit are of pharyngo-esophageal origin. There is apparent reversal of the otological origin trend in ENT admissions via A&E unit.