Epiglottitis

Epiglottitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any child with acute upper airway obstruction, although the incidence has decreased dramatically since the introduction of the conjugate Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine. Despite this decline, there are still more than 3000 admissions per year for this disease. Recent attention toward the potential for noncompliance with vaccination guidelines suggests that this incidence may increase. Airway management takes precedence over all other interventions and requires multidisciplinary coordination between emergency medicine, anesthesiology, and otolaryngology providers. An immediate diagnosis, treatment, and prophylaxis for close contacts greatly improve recovery time, increase survival rate, and, in turn, reduce overall cost of disease management and patient care. The potential lethality of this disease mandates that all health care providers remain acutely aware of how to immediately and effectively triage and intervene with a patient with epiglottitis.