Acute epiglottis is an important clinical condition to recognize due to its potential to rapidly advance to airway obstruction.
Features include:
- Fever
- Stridor
- Difficulty breathing
- Sore throat
- Dysphagia
- Hoarse/muffled voice
- ‘cherry red’ epiglottis
- “Thumb sign” on lateral soft-tissue radiograph
The commonest cause of acute epiglottis is h.influenzae. The HIB vaccine has change acute epiglottis from a disease predominantly of children to one of adults.
Treatment:
- IV cefotaxime
- intubation if required
References:
