Sudden hearing loss is a condition which sends thousands of individuals in the United States to the emergency room each year. The guideline was published this month in the Journal of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. Stachler, said:
"In most cases, patients will have multiple visits with several physicians and undergo extensive testing before a diagnosis is made. There's also been a lack of one or more uniformly accepted treatments, or a consensus on how to counsel patients who do fully recover their hearing.
By focusing on opportunities for quality improvement, the guideline should improve diagnosis, reduce unnecessary tests and imaging procedures, and improve hearing for patients affected by sudden hearing loss."
The team of experts developed the guideline after examining the literature and reaching a consensus for patient diagnosis, management and follow-up care. The panel included Christopher A. Lewandowski, M.D., a physician in emergency medicine, and Henry Ford's Kathleen L. Yaremchuk, M.D., chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Sudden Hearing LossSudden hearing loss is a rapid loss of hearing in one or both ears which can happen to an individual all at once or over a period of up to 3 days. Usually, patients report that their ear feels full or blocked. Dr. Stachler notes that as symptoms of sudden hearing loss are so prevalent and non-specific, evaluation and treatment are often delayed in several cases.
Sudden hearing loss can be caused by a range of issues, such as infectious diseases, head trauma, Meniere's disease, and circulatory problems.
The new guideline, which is intended for all clinicians who see patients aged 18+, includes:
- Information for patients regarding the benefits and risks of medical intervention
- Recommendations to assist clinicians in determining whether a patient with sudden hearing loss is suffering from conductive hearing loss or from sensorineural hearing loss. Although both are common causes of hearing loss, they have extremely different treatment strategies.
- Recommendations advising clinicians to not order computerized tomography (CT) of the head/brain as part of the initial patient assessment.
- A range of amplification and hearing assistive technology available to those patients with incomplete recovery of hearing.
The guideline is published as a supplement to Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and is available here.
To learn more about the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford, click here.