Adult Epiglottitis—Pitfalls of Management: A Case Report
Balaji Ramamourthy, Neemu Hage, Namit K Singh
Keywords :
Airway obstruction, Case report, Difficult airway, Epiglottis
Citation Information :
Ramamourthy B, Hage N, Singh NK. Adult Epiglottitis—Pitfalls of Management: A Case Report. Int J Phonosurg Laryngol 2024; 14 (2):40-42.
Adult epiglottitis is inflammation of the epiglottis and adjoining supraglottis. Many times, it is misdiagnosed or diagnosed late. We present a 50-year-old male who presented with chief complaints of fever, difficulty in swallowing, and change in voice for 2 days. He was diagnosed with epiglottitis and managed with intravenous antibiotics, analgesics, and steroids. Oxygen supplementation was done. Airway intervention was avoided by vigilant monitoring and timely intervention. Patients presenting with airway risk factors such as tachypnea, tachycardia, decreased oxygen saturation, the “double thumb sign” on X-ray, and epiglottic abscess must be carefully monitored, and an airway management plan must be made. Because of its rapid progression and potential threat to airway, it is important for otolaryngologists to be familiar with this condition.
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