title: Profile of otorhinolaryngology emergency unit care in a high complexity public hospital.
abstract: Urgent and emergency care are common happenings in ENT practice and most carry low morbidity and mortality. There are but few studies that address the epidemiology of these situations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of care in the emergency department of otorhinolaryngology at a high complexity hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Epidemiological, cross-sectional study, retrospective with data collection carried out from medical records from the emergency department of otorhinolaryngology of a high complexity hospital in São Paulo, for a period of 12 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  age, gender, clinical diagnosis and management. The cases were divided by subspecialty: otology, rhinology, pharyngolaryngeal-stomatology and head and neck surgery. We evaluated the level of urgency/emergency, etiology and monthly distribution of visits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  17,503 medical records were obtained; 1,863 were excluded. Of the 15,640 cases included, the average age was 36.3 years. 9,818 (62.77%) corresponded to cases considered as emergency/urgency. Among the urgency/emergency cases, 6,422 (65.41%) were diagnosed in the ear and among the 10 most prevalent diagnostics, 7 were in the subspecialty of otology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the patients seen in the emergency department of otolaryngology evaluated in this study, 62.77% corresponded to cases of urgency/emergency, predominantly in the otology subspecialty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Federal University of São Paulo, Paulista School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Santos Cruz de
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: André Maranhão Souza de
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
authors.forename: Rafaella Caruso
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.forename: Valéria Romero
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Godofredo
authors.forename: Norma de Oliveira
authors.initials: Nde O
authors.lastname: Penido
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010038:Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies