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Developments in diagnostic approaches for acutely dizzy patients

The acutely dizzy patient can be a diagnostic and management dilemma for emergency departments and general practitioners, with many patients consequently having delayed access to specialised assessment and treatment. David Jay tells us about HINTS, a bedside test that can...

A new approach to workplace hearing conservation

The traditional approach to managing workplace noise has failed - how can we better protect our nation’s hearing using smart hearing protection? Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is the most common occupational health condition in the world and the most...

OTC hearing aids: where are we now?

The ‘Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act’ of 2017 set in motion plans for a long-debated shift in the hearing care market. In 2021, the FDA released draft guidance which will allow hearing aids in the US to be sold direct to...

What you need to know about recent advances in genetics of hearing loss in the newborn

Identifying the underlying genetic cause of hearing loss in newborns can improve dramatically the early diagnosis and appropriate intervention. Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder at birth, affecting approximately two out of 1000 newborns [1]. Congenital impaired hearing...

The changing landscape for hearing loss therapeutics: novel advances of gene and cell therapies

Recent years have seen advances in hearing loss therapeutics, with novel treatments trialled in humans, and others nearing promising first-in-kind clinical trials. First successful clinical trials for a specific form of genetic hearing loss Very exciting news has emerged in...

Does the overuse of noise-cancelling headphones cause APD?

Have you heard the noise around APD? With a flurry of interest around noise-cancellation and APD, Dale Hewitt offers his take on the evidence and theory. When and why did this question first arise? An article was published by BBC...

Sniffing out the evidence – COVID-19 and loss of sense of smell and taste

Louis Pasteur once observed: “In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.” Professor Hopkins was certainly prepared when a few anecdotes of smell problems started to accumulate early in the pandemic’s course. Post-viral olfactory loss is nothing...

An overview of human factors in ENT and anaesthesia

James Bates and Chris Frerk are both passionate about how human factors science can improve safety in healthcare and have co-authored this article describing how communication, ergonomics and other non-technical skills are making operating theatres safer. There is no doubt...

The future of facial plastics and rhinoplasty

Interest in facial plastic surgery and in particular rhinoplasty has never been greater. From his wealth of experience in the field, Professor Palma outlines the potential problems of this increasing popularity and how they may be addressed, areas on which...

What’s the appetite for clinical risk?

The first Professor and Chair of Medical Professionalism at RCSI and BSHS, Dubhfeasa Slattery provides an overview of how a desire for better healthcare at all levels can be harnessed and nourished, leading to a potential life-long interest in reducing...

Laryngeal papillomatosis

Laryngeal papillomatosis remains one of the most frustrating conditions seen by laryngologists. Sam Majumdar gives us an overview of the current science and clinical practice. Human papilloma virus is a small (> 8kb) double stranded DNA virus with approximately 200...