Methods: In a retrospective analysis, 2,396 cases from 2011 have been analyzed, who were treated by the ENT emergency department of the University of Göttingen, while office-based physicians and polyclinics had closed. We analyzed and evaluated the number of patients, patient registration, diagnoses, age distribution, catchment area, peak times, surgeries, risk factors, and complications.

Results: The ENT emergency department treated seven times as many outpatients as inpatients. The average age was 39.4 years for outpatients, respectively 43.4 years for inpatients. Diagnoses varied greatly. Among outpatients, the three most frequent diagnoses were epistaxis (11.4%), ulcerous utritis (8.7%), and otits externa (8.3%). Among inpatients, epistaxis (10.1%), peritonsillar abscess (7.4%), and secondary hemorrhage (6.0%) were most common. Both, in- and outpatients primarily visited the ENT emergency department on Saturdays (59.4%) and on Sundays (48.0%).

Discussion: Since office-based physicians in Lower Saxony do not offer ENT emergency care, the ENT emergency department of the University of Göttingen plays a vital role in treating patients outside the consultation times of office-based physicians and polyclinics. As indicated by the high number of minor conditions, the ENT emergency department does not only treat many acute cases but also patients who should usually visit office-based physicians or polyclinics.