Acute Otitis Media

Eyes/Ears/Nose/Throat · ~6% of blueprint

Pathophysiology: Eustachian tube dysfunction → middle-ear effusion → bacterial infection (S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis).
Signs & Symptoms: Otalgia, fever, bulging/erythematous tympanic membrane with impaired mobility, hearing loss; common in children.
Gold Standard Diagnosis: Pneumatic otoscopy: bulging TM with decreased mobility (clinical diagnosis).
First-line Treatment: High-dose amoxicillin first-line; amoxicillin-clavulanate if recent antibiotics or treatment failure.

High-Yield Pearl

A bulging, immobile TM = AOM; high-dose amoxicillin is first-line in children.

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