AAO-HNSF Primary Care Otolaryngology Handbook

ENT EMERGENCIES

baric oxygen in severe cases that do not respond to standard care. Quinolones are the drugs of choice because they are active against Pseudomonas organisms. Complications of Acute Otitis Media Complications include meningitis, sigmoid sinus thrombosis, subperios- teal abscess of the mastoid, brain abscess, and facial nerve paralysis. See Chapter 4, Otitis Media. Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is an idiopathic, unilateral, sensorineural hearing loss with onset over a period of less than 72 hours. The most common theories for the etiology are a viral infection or a disorder of inner ear circulation caused by vascular disease. A wide variety of treatments have been used to treat SSHL, including oral and intratympanic steroids, hemodilutional agents, anticoagulants, antivirals, hyperbaric oxygen, and vitamins. The most common treatment for SSHL is a tapered course of oral corticosteroids and/or intratympanic cortico- steroid injections. Regardless, SSHL is a medical emergency that warrants urgent consultation and follow-up with an otolaryngologist. The prognosis is variable and depends on the patient’s age, initial severity of the hearing loss, and promptness of medical treatment.

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