Acute acoustic trauma.

Acute acoustic trauma is a clinical condition with immediate persistent hearing loss after impulse or blast wave noise. This condition is not well recognized in occupational medicine and probably not even in otolaryngology. We report 52 cases of acute acoustic trauma including information concerning the traumatic event. Most cases occurred within military service and in the shipbuilding industry. Except for immediate hearing loss, many patients experienced tinnitus and some pain and hyperacusis. Relatively few patients report immediately. Most patients have been met by a nihilistic approach to therapy, in most cases due to the fact that patients report long after the trauma. The aim of the report is to focus attention on this clinical condition, since there is some indication that the final outcome may improve if patients are taken care of and treated early.