Sujana S. Chandrasekhar, MD, FACS, FAAOHNS, Consulting Editor
Just as we somehow expect all of Pediatrics’ knowledge to fit into a lab coat pocket-sized handbook, we also look to a single issue such as this current issue of Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America to give us a comprehensive update on all of Pediatric Otolaryngology. And, just like The Harriet Lane Handbook, it shouldn’t be able to do that, but it does. Guest editors Drs Romaine Johnson and Elton Lambert have ensured that this issue, which happens to also fit into a lab coat pocket, covers the salient details of all that we currently need to know to be up to moment in this field.
Many of the subjects covered in each of the articles merit (or have been covered in) full issues of Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America to themselves. The authors of each of these articles have synthesized the current information and presented it in an easily accessible format. You will see that the clinical subjects range from single-sided hearing loss to Eustachian tube dysfunction to sleep apnea, drooling, and cough. They go on to cover pediatric tracheostomy, including how to ensure maximal safety for the child while minimizing trips back to the health care system. Complex head and neck reconstruction, treatment of vascular anomalies, and tracheoplasty are also addressed. Unfortunately, nearly 3 years into the worldwide pandemic, we know that COVID-19 affects children differently than it does adults, and the article on that subject explains it in detail.
And then there are some not exactly clinical but equally valuable articles. The article on 3D printing takes this option out of fantasy and places it squarely into reality, including outside of academic medical centers. Quality improvement is covered as a stand-alone subject and as part of ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery). Lack of equity in health care encompasses different components for pediatric specialties compared with their adult counterparts, and appreciation of this as covered in that article is the only way to change it for the better. There is even an article on principles of adult learning from which we can all benefit.
It is a challenge to cover such a diverse topic as Pediatric Otolaryngology updates in a single issue. Drs Johnson and Lambert and all of the authors in this issue have met that challenge beautifully. I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I have, and please don’t forget to listen to our podcasts—there is one per issue—at www.oto.theclinics.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Published online: October 09, 2022
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© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.
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