Epiglottitis

• Epiglottitis
  • Severe phlegmonous infection, quickly progressing
  • Important to consider it in all children with stridor
  • Less common after H. influenzae vaccine
  • Mostly in young children
  • Etiology
    • H. influenzae
    • S. pneumoniae
  • Clinical features
    • High fever
    • Inspiratory stridor
    • Odynophagia
    • Drooling
    • Leaning forward
    • No cough
  • Management
    • Urgent to hospital
    • Airway may collapse rapidly, must be prepared to intubate, no inspection of the pharynx before you're prepared
    • Visualisation of inflamed epiglottis by laryngoscopy
    • IV antibiotics
  • Complications
    • Abscess (rare)