Children aren’t just tiny adults. When a child has a medical issue, they need to be seen by a provider who specializes in the care of children. Pediatrix® Medical Group’s nationwide network of clinicians includes thousands of pediatric specialists, including pediatric otolaryngologists.
Otolaryngologists, also known as ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists, can identify and treat a range of complex conditions. Equipped with the expertise and compassion required to treat young patients with ear, nose, throat, head and neck issues, our pediatric ENTs use both surgical and non-surgical treatments to care for infants, children and adolescents.
Conditions Treated by ENTs
The conditions that otolaryngologists treat include:
- Ear: Infections, hearing loss and impairment, perforated eardrums, deafness, ear lesions, external ear abnormalities
- Nose: Noisy breathing, snoring/enlarged tonsils, nosebleeds, nasal deformities, sinus infections, sleep apnea, nasal fractures
- Throat: Cleft lip/cleft palate, laryngopharyngeal reflux, tonsillitis, hoarseness, head and neck masses and tumors, abnormal voice/speech, vocal cord paralysis/subglottic stenosis
- Head/neck/face: Diseases, tumors, trauma, deformities
“Our practice sees the entire breadth of complex pediatric otolaryngology,” explained Eric Jaryszak, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist with Pediatrix ENT of Orlando. “This encompasses complex airway and swallowing disorders involving the smallest infants up to teens, as well as the entire array of ear and audiology treatments, including hearing aids, cochlear implantation and ear reconstruction. We also treat sinonasal, head and neck conditions.”
A Personalized Approach to Complex Conditions
The practice sees about 2,000 patients per month between office visits, surgical appointments and hospital consultations. Dr. Jaryszak has been with Pediatrix ENT of Orlando since July 2010.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to have patients who had a life-threatening situation — a foreign body in an airway, a severe airway anomaly or a severe complication from an ear or sinus infection — come back for a follow-up visit after an intervention that was truly life-saving or life-altering,” Dr. Jaryszak said. “I also appreciate the long-term patients with whom I’ve built relationships and gotten to know their families. I’ve seen some patients grow from infancy to become toddlers then adolescents and teens. This is a different level of rewarding.”
Dr. Jaryszak treated Julie Kealey’s then 1-year-old daughter Iris for chronic ear infections in 2011. Since then, she has traveled regularly from her home in Melbourne, Florida, to Orlando for treatment for six of her eight children.
- Parker, 18, who has autism, cystic fibrosis, immune deficiencies and ongoing sinus issues for many years, has had several sinus surgeries.
- Ephraim, 17, also has cystic fibrosis and some sinus issues. He has needed several sets of tubes in his ears throughout his life.
- Iris, now 13, has cystic fibrosis and hereditary angioedema. Dr. Jaryszak has treated her ears and sinuses, and has helped Julie and her husband understand Iris’s ENT, immunology and pulmonology issues.
- Kiki, 7, came to the Kealeys through the foster care system and has since been adopted by the couple. She has Pierre Robin sequence, a rare birth defect that affects the jaw, tongue and upper airway. She had been under the care of another physician before placement with the Kealeys, so Julie asked Dr. Jaryszak if he was willing to take on her care, including care of her tracheostomy, a small surgical opening in the windpipe that helps her breathe. She has received craniofacial treatment to address access to her airway and a fistula repair last summer.
“Dr. Jaryszak has been a huge part of Kiki’s team, and I cannot thank him enough for helping us give her the freedom she has,” Julie said.
- Sullivan, 3, also came through the foster care system. He has been under the care of the practice’s audiology team, and Dr. Jaryszak has revised his tongue tie surgery and inserted ear tubes to address minor hearing issues.
“Dr. J’s bedside manner is fantastic,” Julie said. “His approach has always been a perfect balance of conservative treatment and more assertive care when needed. He knows our kids. He knows when they need a more aggressive approach and has always addressed my concerns. He knows how to connect with our kids and has grown with them. He can talk to our older kids on their level and include them in their care. Our current kids range from one to 18 years in age, and he works with each one individually.”
She is so impressed with the care her family has received at Pediatrix ENT of Orlando that she recommends the practice to other moms.
“In the 13 years we have been under the care of Dr. J, I have never felt the need to go elsewhere to get another opinion,” Julie said. “As a family that sees just about every specialty in pediatrics, this is rare. In my opinion, Dr. J is the very best in his field.”
Unfortunately, not all patients have a happy ending.
“My most challenging case was an infant born without a trachea,” said Dr. Jaryszak. “There was only a small connection between the esophagus and the airway remnant at the lungs. This case took an immense amount of ingenuity, patience, collaboration and research. While it did not yield the ultimate outcome we wanted, our intervention gave the family invaluable time with their baby they would not have had otherwise.”
Providing timely, compassionate care is the goal of the busy practice. In fact, the practice plans to add another physician to its staff, which also includes nurse practitioners, physician assistants and audiologists, who collaborate to personalize every patient’s care.
“We love communicating with our referring providers and colleagues about our patients and are here for whatever needs arise,” said Dr. Jaryszak. “If a doctor refers a patient to us, we’ll do what we can to see that patient quickly. We are constantly working to improve access to our practice and accommodate as many patients as possible.”