Acute epiglottitis – A life-threatening clinical entity

Acute epiglottitis (AE) is an acute inflammatory life-threatening clinical condition which can lead to obstruction of the airway. AE is a bacterial infection of the supraglottic structures. Breathing difficulties are often thought of as a strong predictor of the intervention to the airway. AE is con...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Santosh Kumar Swain, Nibi Shajahan, Priyanka Debta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
Series:Journal of Clinical and Scientific Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.jcsr.co.in/article.asp?issn=2277-5706;year=2020;volume=9;issue=2;spage=110;epage=115;aulast=Swain
Description
Summary:Acute epiglottitis (AE) is an acute inflammatory life-threatening clinical condition which can lead to obstruction of the airway. AE is a bacterial infection of the supraglottic structures. Breathing difficulties are often thought of as a strong predictor of the intervention to the airway. AE is considered an emergency due to the chance for airway narrowing. Clinical presentations are alone insufficient for the diagnosis of AE. Fibreoptic nasopharyngolaryngoscopic examination should be performed as soon as possible for confirmation of diagnosis. As AE is a life-threatening infection, it warrants immediate diagnosis and treatment. Antibiotics are the mainstay of the initial treatment along with corticosteroids which act as potential adjuncts. This review article describes the aetiopathology, epidemiology, clinical presentations, diagnosis and current treatment of AE.
ISSN:2277-5706
2277-8357