Analysis of ear, nose and throat injuries reporting to a tertiary care hospital in Sikkim

Aims: This study aims to analyse the pattern of ENT injuries in patient presenting to the institute. Settings and Design: This study was conducted in the department of ENT, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Gangtok. Methods and Material: Date was collected from patient record files and post mortem data. Information about the intent, mode, mechanism and examination findings of nasal, maxillofacial, temporal bone and neck injuries was recorded. Results: A total of 505 patients were evaluated in this study (male: female; 4:1. Accidental intent followed by assault was most common. There were 21 cases of suicidal hanging. Injuries by blunt injuries and Road Traffic Accident (RTA) were the commonest. Among maxillofacial injuries, nose was most commonly fractured bone. In temporal bone injuries, post aural injuries were most common. Neck injuries were predominantly due to hanging. Conclusions: Maxillofacial injuries are most common ENT injuries in Sikkim. Maxillofacial injuries to nose are the most common ENT injuries in Sikkim. Suicidal hanging is an unusually common mode of neck injury.