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Abstract

Ear complaints frequently bring patients to adult and pediatric emergency departments (EDs). Although rarely life-threatening, these disorders have a significant impact on the patient’s daily life. The emergency clinician needs to be able to distinguish complaints that need immediate evaluation and treatment in the ED from those that are best handled by the primary care clinician or in an otolaryngologist’s office. This review will cover 4 common complaints involving the ear: pain (otalgia), hearing loss, tinnitus, and trauma.

Keywords: acute otitis media, otitis media with effusion, otitis externa, otalgia, hearing loss, tinnitus, ear trauma

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