ENT and Otolaryngology

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Children, youth and families Healthcare providers

About ENT and Otolaryngology

We care for children and youth with a variety of ear, nose and throat related issues. We offer these treatments and procedures:

Adenoidectomy
Ear surgeries
Functional endoscopic sinus surgery
Myringotomy
Neck surgery
Tonsillectomy

About our team

Our team includes a group of the following professionals: surgeons, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses as well as administrative and clerical staff.

Information for children, youth and families

Before your appointment

Please sign-up for a MyChart account, prior to your first visit.

Our scheduling team will contact you by phone to schedule an appointment. 

For some types of appointments, we will schedule a hearing test to be done prior to your visit with the CHEO Audiology Team.

If something changes and you need to reschedule your appointment, please let us know at least 24-48 hours in advance if you are unable to make it by calling 613-737-7600 x2222. No-shows or frequent cancellations may result in discharge from the service. 

What to expect during your appointment

Please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time in case there are delays with parking or finding the clinic and to complete any required paperwork that may be required in advance of your visit.

We are located in Clinic B on the first floor (basement).

Please bring a list of any medications your child is currently taking.

If your child is being seen for issues related to sleep disordered breathing, please take short video recordings of your child snoring and/or periods of apnea (optimal time 2 hours after onset of sleep). This will be vital for our consultation.

After your appointment

Your provider will let you know whether any additional appointments, procedures or testing are required after your visit.

Frequently asked questions

How can I make an appointment?

All patients must be referred by a Physician or Nurse Practitioner. 

After a referral is received, we will notify the referring Physician or Nurse Practitioner whether the referral has been accepted or denied, and if accepted we will provide an estimated wait time. This wait time can vary based on demand and urgency. Once we have an appointment spot to offer, our Scheduling Team will reach you by phone to schedule an appointment.

Who should I contact if I am worried or have questions?

For any emergency, call 911. This includes emergencies involving your child’s ENT-related concerns.
For patients who are being followed by the ENT Clinic: For patients who have seen a CHEO ENT Provider, call your Nurse Case Manager or send a direct message to them through MyChart. This is not for urgent calls. Our nurses are here to give support, education and will work to coordinate your child’s care.  It may take 3-5 days for us to get back to you (and sometimes longer during holidays). We will return the most serious calls first. Please avoid leaving multiple messages for the same issue.
For patients who are waiting for their first visit with the ENT Clinic: Please do not call the nurses line if you have not yet been seen by a CHEO ENT Provider. Please call your family doctor, pediatrician or visit your nearest walk-in clinic for everything else.

Sign up for MyChart to access your CHEO health record anywhere, any time.
MyChart is a secure, online patient portal that connects you to parts of your CHEO electronic health record and allows you to send two-way secure communication to your care team, complete any questionnaires your care team sends and much more.
To learn more about MyChart and sign up, visit our MyChart page and fill out the MyChart Access Request Form.

Looking for more resources or supports?

Visit our ENT and Otolaryngology resource and support page to find helpful websites, local contacts, videos and more.

Information for healthcare providers

Make a referral

Our clinic is now accepting e-referrals with Ocean!

If you’re already on Ocean, look us up via your account by searching "CHEO".
If you don’t yet have an Ocean account, no problem - signing up is free.

Make a referral in Ocean

You can make an e-referral using Ocean, or send a referral by mail or fax to our address below.

Referral criteria and eligibility

Referral criteria and eligibility
Reason for referral	Criteria	Mandatory information to include on referral	Other information
ENT Issues in children with underlying complex medical conditions, requiring ongoing care here at CHEO	Examples Complex cardiac conditions Oncology patients Diabetes, metabolic or renal issues Cerebral palsy Autism	For all referrals, please include onset, severity and duration of symptoms as well relevant investigations, and/or treatments that have been trialed.
ENT issues in children with underlying genetic syndromes	Examples Trisomy 21 22Q deletion
Sensorineural hearing loss	Failed infant hearing screening Documented sensorineural hearing loss Suspected CMV related hearing loss
Craniofacial abnormalities	Examples: cleft lip and palate craniosynostosis
Airway concerns	Stridor SEVERE sleep disordered breathing (please have parents bring 10 second long videos of snoring/apneas to clinic visit) Sleep disordered breathing not improved following a 3 month trial of nasal steroid spray such as Nasonex. Recurrent croup (>4 instances in a 12 month period or severe requiring hospitalization).
Drooling after age 5			Patient will be directed to saliva management clinic
Poor saliva management causing aspirations (any age)			Patient will be directed to saliva management clinic
Hoarseness lasting more than 1 month			Kids over the age of 5 will be seen in our voice clinic Kids under the age of 5 will be seen in our regular clinic
Head and neck masses	Examples: Neck e.g. thyroglossal duct cyst, lymphadenopathy (please arrange appropriate ultrasound prior to appointment) Oral cavity lesions
Suspected Head and Neck Malignancy
Recurrent AOM or chronic otitis media in children under the age of 2	Recurrent is defined as >6 episodes in a period of 12 months
Significant nasal obstruction under the age of 2
Foreign body in the nose, ear and airway
Recurrent or chronic tonsilitis/pharyngitis	Recurrent defined as greater than 7 episodes of tonsilitis or pharyngitis in a period of 12 months
Wax impaction	Under the age of 5
Recurrent significant nosebleeds	Failed conservative measures such as nasal lubricant use
Sudden hearing loss
Conductive hearing loss	Two audiograms 3 months apart show conductive hearing loss

Contact us

ENT and Otolarynglogy (C-B), CHEO
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1
Fax: 613-738-4222