Management of acute epiglottitis by nasotracheal intubation
J. D. Battaglia and C. H. Lockhart
In 40 cases of acute epiglottitis in children, intubation was the chosen
method for the management of airway obstruction. Six patients were treated
without the establishment of an artificial airway, and no tracheostomies
were done. No patients who were admitted to the hospital died of airway
obstruction, although one sustained irreversible brain damage before
admission, and two died of overwhelming infectionmthe average duration of
intubation was 2.days and the average hospital stay was 5.days. Two
children developed subglottic granulation tissue that was removed
successfully and did not recur. Nasotracheal intubation is an acceptable
method of management of epiglottitis.
