Acute otitis media is common. More than 80% of children experience at least one episode of acute otitis media before the age of 2 years. And complications are common also - from perforated tympanic membrane to otitis media with effusion. So it is important that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right. To find out more about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to his podcast interview with Dr. Carlos Armengol of the Pediatric Associates of Charlottesville in the US. Competing interests: none

Animal bites

Each year in the UK, approximately 250,000 people attend emergency departments for the treatment of dog bites. And about 10% of patients will develop an infection. And that is just dogs. Animal bites are a common and serious problem - it is important that we get the assessment and management of this condition right. To find out more details about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to his podcast interview with Dr Oliver Spencer, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Croydon University Hospital NHS Trust.

Competing interests: none

Burns are a common injury. The exact prevalence is difficult to know, as many people will not seek medical advice. But we do know that around 13,000 people in the UK require hospital attention from specialist burns services. And burns can cause a range of complications from scarring to sepsis to psychological trauma. So it is important that we get the management of burns right. To find out more details about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to his podcast interview with Professor Rob Sheridan, Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School. Competing interests: none

COPD is common. It is the third leading cause of death worldwide, causing 3.23 million deaths in 2019. And anyone who has worked in a hospital will know that exacerbations are common also. So it is important that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right. To find out more details about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to his podcast interview with Neil Greening, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Physician at the Institute for Lung Health, Leicester. Competing interests: Dr Greening has received honoraria, lecture fees, travel for conferences and consultancy fees from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Chiesi, Sanofi and Pulmonx. His Institution has received grant funding and consultancy fees from GSK, and Roche.

Syncope is common. It accounts for approximately 1% of all emergency department visits and 2% of all hospital admissions from the emergency department. Causes include dysrhythmias, pulmonary embolism, subarachnoid haemorrhage, and acute coronary syndrome - to name but a few. So what if anything can we do to ensure that it is diagnosed and managed correctly? To answer this and other important questions, please do have a listen to this podcast interview with Professor Shamai Grossman, Associate Professor of Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Competing interests: none

Sepsis is common. In 2018, more than one million US Medicare patients were admitted to hospital with sepsis.

And complications are serious - from renal failure to ARDS to DIC.

So what if anything can we do to ensure that it is diagnosed and managed correctly?

To answer this and other important questions, have a listen to this podcast with Professor Andre Kalil, from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

For more on sepsis, visit BMJ Best Practice.

Competing interests: none

Acne is a common condition. The Global Burden of Disease estimates the prevalence of acne to be 8%, ranking it the eighth most prevalent disease worldwide.

And acne can cause complications - from scarring to dyspigmentation to mental health problems.

So what if anything can we do to ensure that it is diagnosed and managed correctly?

To answer this and other important questions, please have a listen to this podcast interview with Professor John Barbieri, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Harvard. 

For more on acne, visit BMJ Best Practice.

Competing interests: JB has received consulting fees from Dexcel Pharma.

Cervical spine injuries result primarily from motor vehicle accidents, sports activities, and diving into shallow water. These mainly happen with young people. In older people, falls are a common cause. And such injuries can cause a range of complications from pain to radiculopathy to other neurological disability.

So what if anything can we do to ensure that cervical spine trauma is diagnosed and managed correctly?

To answer this and other important questions, listen to this interview with Michael Fehlings, Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, and author of our BMJ Best Practice topic on this condition.

Competing interests: MGF served as a consultant for Zimmer, In Vivo Therapeutics, and Pfizer. He receives institutional fellowship grant support from AOSpine, Medtronic, and Depuy-Synthes.

Croup is a frequent cause of acute respiratory distress in young children. Typically, it affects those between six months and three years of age, peaking in the second year of life. And croup can be serious and can cause complications - such as pneumonia.

So what if anything can we do to ensure that it is diagnosed and managed correctly?

To answer this and other important questions, please do have a listen to this podcast interview with Professor David Johnson who is from the Department of Pediatrics and Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Calgary, Canada.

For more on croup, visit BMJ Best Practice. 

Competing interests: none

As the climate changes, we are getting more diseases associated with extremes of temperature - such as frostbite.

Frostbite is classically associated with mountaineering and winter activities. But it also occurs in armed conflict and of course in homeless people. Frostbite can result in wound infection, gangrene and amputation.

So what if anything can we do to ensure that it is diagnosed and managed correctly? To find the answer to this and other important questions, please have a listen to this podcast interview with Professor Chris Imray, Consultant Vascular and Renal Transplant Surgeon.

For more on frostbite, visit BMJ Best Practice.

Disclosures: CI has been paid for medicolegal work and receives royalties for the Oxford Handbook of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.