Referral to emergency
If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
- acute nasal fracture without other facial fractures
Please contact the on-call registrar to discuss your concerns prior to referral.
For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant metropolitan Local Health Network switchboard and ask to speak to the relevant specialty service.
If clinical advice is required urgently or out of hours, please contact Flinders Medical Centre or the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Northern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Lyell McEwin Hospital (08) 8182 9000
Southern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Flinders Medical Centre (08) 8204 5511
Women's and Children's Health Network
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital (08) 8161 7000
Inclusions
- simple nasal fractures
Exclusions
- rhinoplasty for cosmetic purposes only
- craniofacial trauma and facial fractures — refer to Craniomaxillofacial - Paediatric CPC
Triage categories
Category 1 (appointment clinically indicated within 30 days)
- acute nasal fracture without other facial fractures
Usually seen as a rapid assessment within 10 days of injury. Please contact the on-call registrar on call to discuss your concerns at time of referral.
Category 2 (appointment clinically indicated within 90 days)
- nil
Category 3 (appointment clinically indicated within 365 days)
- nil
For more on outpatient referrals, see the general referral information page.
Essential referral information
Completion required before first appointment to ensure patients are ready for care. Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
- identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- identify within your referral if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population, under guardianship/out-of-home care arrangements and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf
- interpreter required
- age
- past medical/surgical history
- current medications
- allergies and sensitivities
- onset, duration, and progression of symptoms
- management history
- symptoms and concerns
- trauma/mechanism of injury
- nasopharyngeal/sinus examination
- exclusion of septal haematoma
- neurological/cognitive assessment
Additional information to assist triage categorisation
- relevant diagnostic/imaging reports including location of company and accession number
Clinical management advice
Women’s and Children's ear, nose and throat service only sees simple fractured nose as a rapid assessment within 10 days of injury. This service does not see facial fractures or complicated fractures.
Please note that nasal fracture referrals can be managed by the following specialist services:
Acute nasal fractures requiring surgical intervention such as external bone displacement, receive the best result within two weeks from time of injury.
Please utilise the relevant Aboriginal Liaison Units (ALU) to provide support to Aboriginal families.
Clinical resources
- Women's and Children's Hospital - Cleft and Craniofacial SA
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners - Traumatic nasal injuries in general practice
- Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne – Maxillofacial injury
- Women's and Children's Hospital Aboriginal Liaison Unit / Taikurrinthi
- Flinders Medical Centre Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Unit / Karpa Ngarrattendi
- Alternative ear health services and resources for Aboriginal children in South Australia
Consumer resources
- Alternative ear health services and resources for Aboriginal children in South Australia