Acute epiglottitis in adults

Clinical features of patients with acute epiglottitis in the emergency department

Background:

Acute epiglottitis is a potentially life-threatening condition, but its clinical manifestations are usually nonspecific.

Objectives:

We investigated the clinical differences between patients with and those without acute epiglottitis and identified the risk factors of patients with acute epiglottitis who may develop airway compromise.

Methods:

We studied patients suspected of having acute epiglottitis in the emergency department. All patients received fibre-optic laryngoscopy performed by an otorhinolaryngologist and were subsequently divided into two groups: patients with acute epiglottitis and those without.

Results:

Of the 311 adult patients, 108 were diagnosed with acute epiglottitis. In the nonepiglottitis group, more complaints of fever (p < 0.001), cough (p < 0.001), and rhinorrhoea (p = 0.048) and more systemic comorbidities were reported. People with acute epiglottitis generally had a higher prevalence of head and neck tumours (p = 0.015), odynophagia (p = 0.037) and an elevated white blood cell level (p < 0.001). The proportion of patients with cardiovascular disease (p = 0.014) or diabetes mellitus (p = 0.019), drooling (p = 0.026) or sore throat (p = 0.042), a high respiratory rate (p = 0.009), an elevated white blood cell level (p = 0.002) and a higher C-reactive protein level (p = 0.005) was higher among those who required airway intervention.

Conclusion:

Clinical manifestations alone were insufficiently reliable for diagnosing acute epiglottitis but could predict disease severity. Laryngoscopy should be performed as soon as possible once a patient is suspected of having acute epiglottitis.

Case and Literature Review: Adult Acute Epiglottitis – Rising Incidence or Increasing Awareness?

Objective

The prevalence of adult acute epiglottitis is probably more common than is generally appreciated. A retrospective case review in a district hospital and a medical literature search may provide baseline information to guide future strategies.

Methods

Cases of acute epiglottitis in a period of 3 years and 4 months were traced from the hospital computer systems. Medical records were reviewed. Medical literature on “adult acute epiglottitis” was searched through Medline and EMBASE. Relevant full text articles were retrieved through hospital library network.

Results

From February 1998 to June 2001, 11 cases of acute epiglottitis were identified. The age range was 34–78 (mean 47.5, median 41). There was no paediatric case. The male to female ratio was 9:2. Eight presented with fever, sore throat and dysphagia, one presented with dyspnoea and two presented as foreign body in throat. Nine were treated successfully conservatively. Two were intubated prophylactically. There was no case fatality.

Conclusion

Adult acute epiglottitis has become much commoner than its paediatric counterpart. Acute epiglottitis should be suspected in all patients with a sore throat and dysphagia, especially if symptoms are out of proportion to the pharyngeal inflammation.

Potential airway compromise secondary to impacted Wharton's duct calculus: a noteworthy phenomenon

Objectives:

This case report describes a patient who suffered an acute, severe complication of unilateral submandibular sialolithiasis, the disease process and management of these patients.

Case report:

A 70-year-old woman was under investigation for a recurrent, painful right submandibular swelling and subsequently presented with an acute exacerbation. She exhibited symptoms of acute submandibular sialadenitis, and also reported breathing difficulty and a change in voice quality. Computed tomography imaging showed that this was caused by a submandibular gland duct sialolith, with inflammation extending to the ipsilateral supraglottis. She was treated medically and the stone was removed when the inflammation had stabilised.

Conclusion:

This case highlights the need to thoroughly assess patients with neck swellings, especially when symptoms are atypical, to avoid life-threatening complications.

Aspergillus epiglottitis in a non-immunocompromised patient

The authors present a case that highlights an atypical example of a fungal epiglottis in an otherwise well adult patient with no medical history of fungal infection or an immunocompromised state. As current medical literature presents this fungus as only manifesting in the immunocompromised, the authors suggest, by this case report, that fungal pathogens be considered as a potential cause of epiglottitis in non-immunocompromised patients.

Acute epiglottitis: a retrospective review of 47 patients in Kuwait

OBJECTIVES

Acute epiglottitis is a potentially life threatening condition which can lead to fatal airway obstruction in previously healthy individuals. The present study was undertaken to assess the clinical features, management and patient outcomes of epiglottitis in Kuwait over an eight year period.

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

Al Sabah Hospital, Kuwait.

METHODS

All patients admitted to the ENT department of Al Sabah hospital between January 2000 and January 2008 with the diagnosis of acute epiglottitis were included in this retrospective study. The diagnosis of acute epiglottitis was established by visualization of inflamed epiglottis either on indirect laryngoscopy or flexible fibreoptic/direct laryngoscopy.

RESULTS

47 cases were identified, 5 children and 42 adults. There were 32 males and 15 females, in the age range of 5 to 66 years. Peak incidence was in the third decade. 31 patients had co-morbid conditions, 18 patients (38.2%) had diabetes, 8 patients (17%) had hypertension and 3 patients (6.3%) had dental caries. Majority of the patients (89.3%) presented with sore throat as their chief complaint. All patients were febrile on presentation. The classical "thumb sign" on lateral neck radiograph was seen in 32 patients (68%). Blood cultures were collected from 22 patients (46.8%), all were negative. Ceftriaxone was the commonest empirical antibiotic prescribed. 7 patients required airway intervention (5 with endotracheal intubation and 2 with tracheostomy). There were no deaths in our study.

CONCLUSION

In Kuwait, acute epiglottis is commoner in adults than in children. It is imperative to secure the airway and to start the patients on broad spectrum antibiotics and steroids as early as possible. In general, the prognosis is good with antimicrobial therapy, close monitoring and selective airway intervention, in the form of intubation / tracheostomy, for patients with stridor or shortness of breath.

Airway intervention in adult supraglottitis

BACKGROUND

The timing of aggressive airway intervention in adult epiglottitis is controversial.

AIMS

To correlate Friedman's staging of epiglottitis on admission with the airway interventions undertaken.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 23 adult patients, mean age 51 years (range 29-81 years), who had been admitted with acute supraglottitis between March 1988 and December 2000 was undertaken.

RESULTS

Three patients (13%) had airway interventions; two with tracheostomy and one with tracheal intubation. All were Friedman stage III and had rapid symptom progression during the 24 hours prior to admission. Three other stage III patients with symptom progression longer than 24 hours and all the remaining patients (stage II or less) were managed with observation and intravenous therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Friedman originally advocated airway intervention in any patient stage II or worse, but this intubation threshold should probably be lowered to those patients with rapid-onset stage Ill (moderate respiratory distress, stridor, respiratory rate > 30 per minute, pCO2 > 45mmHg) disease.

Upper airway diseases and airway management: a synopsis

This article summarizes some of the more important upper airway conditions likely to affect airway management. A number of upper airway conditions may present difficult challenges to the anesthesiologist. For instance, infected airway structures may lead to partial airway obstruction, stridor, or even complete airway obstruction. Partial airway obstruction may be mild, as in snoring or nasal congestion, or may be more severe, perhaps requiring the use of airway adjuncts, such as a nasopharyngeal airway. Complete airway obstruction is usually managed by prompt intubation, but surgical airways are sometimes needed as a last resort.

Adult acute epiglottitis and foreign body in the throat - chicken or egg?

A 53 year old man presented with the chief complaint of having a fish bone stuck in the throat for about 1 h. There was no dysphagia or respiratory symptoms. Plain lateral neck X-ray, direct laryngoscopy and oesophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a grossly swollen epiglottis with narrowing of the laryngeal lumen. No foreign body was found. His condition improved rapidly with intravenous antibiotic therapy. As acute epiglottitis may be a sudden life-threatening condition, a high index of suspicion should be maintained for patients who present with alleged foreign bodies in the throat.

Viral supraglottitis in an adult: a case presentation and literature update

Viral epiglottitis (supraglottitis) is a rare entity but its presentation can mimic that of bacterial epiglottis. Regardless of the causative agent, supraglottitis is a serious disease mostly affecting children and rarely seen in adults. Early suspicion and proper evaluation are mandatory to prevent a life-threatening crisis. In both children and adults the infectious aetiology in supraglottitis is predominantly bacterial while viruses are rare, especially in adults. We describe a case of supraglottitis in an adult in which the symptoms were insidious and blood indices suggested a bacterial aetiology. However, laryngoscopic examination revealed an ulcer over the left aryepiglottic fold and serology was positive for Herpes simplex virus (HSV) IgM. Because supraglottitis due to HSV is a rare entity with few reported cases in the literature, this case is presented to highlight the viral involvement in this disease and its management.

Acute supraglottitis in adults: early indicators of airway obstruction

PURPOSE

To show that cardinal signs of upper airway obstruction are characteristically absent in the early phases of potentially fatal supraglottitis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The hospital records of 9 previously healthy adults who died from autopsy-proven supraglottitis within 12 hours after sudden onset of severe sore throat.

RESULTS

Six patients who were discharged from the emergency room with a diagnosis of pharyngitis died at home within 4 hours after dismissal. Three patients suspected of supraglottitis were admitted and treated medically; by the time signs of respiratory obstruction appeared, attempts at airway intervention failed. None of the 9 patients presented with symptoms or signs of respiratory distress, but all gave a history of fulminant sore throat associated with chills and fever. In all patients, the pulse rate was above 100 per minute.

CONCLUSION

In the early phases of acute supraglottitis, the most reliable indicator of impending airway obstruction is a rapidly developing severe sore throat. Dyspnea, tachypnea, retractions, stridor, and cyanosis are manifestations of advanced stages of the infection and should not be awaited to determine the need for airway intervention.

Epiglottitis in adults

Acute epiglottitis has become a disease of adults, probably as a result of immunization of children against Haemophilus influenzae. This article is a review of the literature on epiglottitis, including signs and symptoms, investigation, differential diagnosis, and treatment in the emergency department. The microbiology is discussed and the importance of prophylaxis in exposed persons is stressed.

Acute epiglottitis. An 18-year experience in Rhode Island

OBJECTIVE

To assess the incidence, clinical characteristics, management, and outcome of epiglottitis in a defined population over an 18-year period.

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

The state of Rhode Island, 1975 through 1992.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

Cases who met predetermined criteria for acute epiglottitis identified from hospital discharges and the State Medical Examiner's log of prehospitalization deaths.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Incidence by year and age, clinical presentation, results of diagnostic evaluations, management, and outcome.

RESULTS

Four hundred seven cases were identified, 134 in children and 273 in adults. Incidence in children dropped from 38 cases in the first 3 years of the study to 1 case in the last 3 years (p < 0.001). Adult cases increased from 17 in the first 3 years to 69 in the last 3 years (p < 0.001). Seventy-nine percent of adults and 32% of children were treated without an artificial airway. Factors associated with airway obstruction included symptomatic respiratory difficulty, stridor, drooling, shorter duration of symptoms, enlarged epiglottis on radiograph, and Haemophilus influenzae bacteremia (p < 0.001 for each). Twelve patients died (3 children and 9 adults), with all cases of fatal respiratory obstruction occurring within 12 h of presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

There have been significant changes in the clinical epidemiology of epiglottitis, which now occurs almost exclusively in adults, often with less severe symptoms and a lower incidence of H influenzae infection. While careful observation is indicated for all patients, the data suggest that those with certain clinical characteristics can be treated safely without an immediate artificial airway.

Fatal respiratory arrest in adult epiglottitis in the intensive care unit. Implications for airway management

A 64-year-old man with acute epiglottitis, monitored in an ICU without an artificial airway, suffered sudden fatal respiratory arrest 36 h after admission despite rapid emergency interventions. This case demonstrates the importance of adequate airway protection in adult epiglottitis even within an ICU setting. A protocol for airway management for such patients is presented.

Adult respiratory distress syndrome associated with adult epiglottitis

Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an increased permeability pulmonary edema syndrome known to be associated with a variety of direct and indirect pulmonary insults. ARDS occurred in a 37-year-old woman during an episode of epiglottitis. The patient was treated with endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation and recovered, to be discharged from the hospital 1 week after presentation. There are only two cases of ARDS reported in this setting, and in each case, pulmonary edema followed cardiac arrest and the patients had a fatal outcome.

Emergency management of the airway outside the operating room

Successful emergency airway intervention incorporates the anaesthetist's basic skills in airway management with the knowledge of the special nature of the clinical problems that arise outside the operating room. While a thorough but rapid evaluation of the key anatomical and physiological factors of an individual patient may result in an obvious choice for optimal management, clinical problems often arise in which there is not an evident "best approach." In these less clear-cut situations, the anaesthetist may do well to employ those techniques with which she/he has the greatest skills and experience. At times, however, some degree of creative improvisation is required to care for an especially difficult problem.

Acute epiglottitis in the adult: is intubation mandatory?

Acute epiglottitis (AE) in the adult results in inflammation of the supraglottic structures and carries the potential for complete airway obstruction. There is disagreement in the medical literature as to the appropriate management of the airway in the adult with AE. Some authors advocate intubation in all patients while others propose more selective intervention, intubating the trachea only in those patients presenting with airway compromise. We reviewed our institutional experience with 21 patients over the last seven years admitted with a proven diagnosis of AE. Six patients presented with respiratory distress, three in severe distress with symptoms and signs of upper airway obstruction. The three patients in severe distress were taken to the operating room, in two the tracheas were intubated and one underwent tracheostomy after failed intubation. All other patients were monitored but their tracheas were not intubated. The majority of the patients were monitored for 24 hr in the ICU before transfer to wards. No patient initially monitored required tracheal intubation for progression of disease. There were no deaths. Recommendations for the care of the airway in the adult with AE based on our experience and a review of approximately 1000 cases reported in the last ten years are presented. It is our opinion that adults presenting without respiratory symptoms may be safely monitored in an intensive care setting given that provision is made for tracheal intubation or tracheostomy should respiratory distress become evident.

Infectious mononucleosis complicated by necrotizing epiglottitis, dysphagia, and pneumonia

Although infectious mononucleosis is usually a benign illness, life-threatening complications may occur. We describe a 17-year-old pregnant girl who developed necrotizing epiglottitis and dysphagia progressing to aspiration pneumonia and respiratory failure. The factors predisposing to this life-threatening complication are discussed.

Adult epiglottitis

Adult epiglottitis (or "supraglottitis") is an uncommon but increasingly recognized entity. Though prior studies emphasized the fulminant nature of the disease, recent evidence suggests that epiglottitis in adults may follow a relatively less severe clinical course, especially if Hemophilus influenza is not isolated. The records of 28 patients with adult epiglottitis were retrospectively analyzed to characterize the presenting features and clinical course of the disease. The diagnosis was established by laryngoscopy, lateral cervical radiographs, or both. Laryngoscopy did not precipitate airway obstruction in any patient. The majority of patients experienced a relatively benign clinical course and improved with medical management that consisted of ICU admission, intravenous antibiotics, hydration, inhaled mist, and corticosteroids. Only two patients (7%) required airway support with orotracheal intubation because of respiratory difficulty. There were no instances of respiratory arrest or airway obstruction. No tracheostomies were performed, and there were no deaths. It was concluded that adult epiglottitis can follow a less severe course than classically described.

Acute epiglottitis in adults (the Singapore experience)

Acute epiglottitis in adults is a potentially fatal but self-limiting disease of increasing incidence world-wide. Forty-two patients, seen consecutively over a four year period at the ENT Department, Singapore General Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. A strong male predominance with a peak age incidence in the sixth decade was noted. A severe sore throat and dysphagia with disproportionate signs of oropharyngeal inflammation was the main presenting picture. Only three patients had stridor on presentation. Vigilant monitoring of the airway with empirical high-dose intravenous ampicillin, cloxacillin and steroids resulted in a dramatic clinical improvement in most patients and none developed stridor after admission. The yield from throat swabs and blood cultures were low. Two patients developed complications, a Ludwigs angina and an epiglottic abscess. Recurrent epiglottitis was a problem in one patient. There was low morbidity and no mortality on the management regime outlined.

Acute epiglottitis in adults. A review of 48 cases

Acute epiglottitis was diagnosed infrequently in adults until the late 1960s and early 1970s. Because it is relatively rare, it may present a problem to the physician who sees an adult with sore throat and dysphagia, but does not think of epiglottitis. In this paper, we report our experience with 48 cases of acute epiglottitis in adults between the years 1963 and 1987. A discussion of the diagnosis and treatment of adult epiglottitis is presented. An adult with acute painful dysphagia should be considered to have epiglottitis until the diagnosis is proven otherwise.

Epiglottitis at the extremes of age

Epiglottitis may occur at any age. The typical presentation in the young child and young adult is well known, but the presentation in patients at the extremes of age has not been characterized. At our locale, from 1974 to 1984, 19 children 24 months of age or less and, from 1979 to 1984, 9 adults 50 years of age or greater with epiglottitis were seen in the emergency department. In the infantile group, rapidly progressive interference with swallowing, vocalization, and respiration was encountered in less than half the patients. Symptoms were often prolonged before parents sought attention for their child. No preference was shown for maintenance of the upright position while at rest, as recumbency did not promote stridor or initiate respiratory distress. Respiratory complaints were common and included cough, tachypnea, and retractions. Drooling or retention of pharyngeal secretions was uncommon. The adult population had a history of symptoms that spanned several days. Extreme sore throat, pooling of oral secretions, muffled voice, and elevated temperature were uncommon. Dysphagia and mild respiratory complaints were frequent. Upper airway obstruction did occur. At both extremes of age, exceptions to the classic clinical pattern of epiglottitis occurred with significant frequency. Despite this, diagnosis and management in the emergency department were appropriate in most cases.

Acute supraglottic laryngitis in adults

Four cases of supraglottic laryngitis in adults have been presented. All were treated conservatively with I.V. hydrocortisone and I.V. antibiotics under close observation. No intubation or tracheostomy was carried out. The author recommends the use of I.V. Cefuroxime as an initial form of antibiotic treatment. Mirror laryngoscopy is mandatory in any adult patient who presents with sore throat if epiglottitis is not to be missed as the first consultation.