Epiglottitis
Treating epiglottitis
Epiglottitis is treated in hospital. The first thing the medical team will do is secure the person's airways, to make surethey can breathe properly.
Securing the airways
Anoxygen mask will be given to deliver highly concentrated oxygen to the person's lungs.
If this doesn't work, a tube will be placed in the patient's mouth and pushed past their epiglottis into the windpipe. The tube will be connected to an oxygen supply.
In severe cases, where there's an urgent need to secure the airways, a small cut may be made in the neck, at the front of the windpipe, so a tube can be inserted. The tube is then connected to an oxygen supply. This procedure is called a tracheostomy and it allows oxygen to enter the lungs while bypassing the epiglottis. An emergency tracheostomy can be carried out using local anaesthetic or general anaesthetic.
Once the airways have been secured and the person is able to breathe unrestricted, a more comfortable and convenient way of assisting breathing may be found. This is usually achieved by threading a tube through the nose and into the windpipe.
Fluids will be supplied through a drip into one of your veins, until the person is able to swallow.
Once this has been achieved and the situation is thought to be safe, some tests may be carried out, such as:
- a fibre-optic laryngoscopy a flexible tube with a camera attached to one end (laryngoscope) is used to examine the throat
- a throat swab to test for any bacteria or viruses
- blood tests to check the number of white blood cells (ahigh number indicates there may an infection) andto identify any traces of bacteria or viruses in the blood
- an X-ray or a computerised tomography (CT) scan sometimes usedto check the level of swelling
The underlying infection will then be treated with acourse of antibiotics ,and most people with epiglottitis are well enough to leave hospital afterfive to sevendays.
With prompt treatment, most people recover from epiglottitis after about a week and are usually well enough to leave hospital after five to seven days.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Epiglottitis is inflammation and swelling of the epiglottis. In most cases, it's caused by infection. The epiglottis is a flap of tissue that sits beneath the tongue at the back of the throat.
Symptoms of epiglottitis
The symptoms of epiglottitis usually develop quickly and get rapidly worse, although they can develop over a few days in older children and adults. Symptoms include: a severe Strep throat difficul
When to seek medical advice
Epiglottitis is regarded as a medical emergency, asa swollen epiglottis can restrict the oxygen supply to your lungs. Dial 999 to ask for an ambulance if you think you or your child has epiglottitis
Treating epiglottitis
Epiglottitis is treated in hospital. The first thing the medical team will do is secure the person's airways, to make surethey can breathe properly. Securing the airways Anoxygen mask will be given
Why it happens
Epiglottitis is usually caused by an infection withHaemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) bacteria. As well as epiglottitis, Hib can cause a number of serious infections, such as pneumonia and meningitis
Hib vaccination
The most effective way to prevent your child getting epiglottitis is to make suretheir vaccinations are up to date. Children are particularly vulnerable to a Hib infection, because they have an under
Who is affected
Because of the success of the Hib vaccination programme,epiglottitis is rare in the UK, andmost cases now occur in adults.Deaths from epiglottitis arealso rare, occurring inless than 1 in 100 cases.
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