Epiglottitis
Introduction
If epiglottitis is suspected, call for emergency medical services to take the person to a hospital's emergency department for further evaluation by a doctor.
The following combination of signs and symptoms should lead you to contact your doctor or go directly to a hospital's emergency department:
Respiratory distress characterized by drooling, Shortness of breath, rapid shallow breathing, very ill-looking appearance, upright posturing with tendency to lean forward, and stridor (high-pitched sound when breathing in).
Epiglottitis is a medical emergency. Someone who is suspected of having epiglottitis should be taken to the hospital. Any signs of difficulty in breathing should be reason enough to see a doctor.
If you experience a sudden onset of the following signs and symptoms, go directly to a hospital's emergency department:
- Sore throat
- Drooling
- Inability to speak or swallow
- Muffled voice
- fever
- Fast heartbeat
- Respiratory distress, such as stridor, short shallow breathing, fast breathing, or blue discoloration to the skin
Follow-up
Continue taking all antibiotics until the full course is completed. Keep all follow-up appointments with your doctor. In the event that a breathing tube had to be placed through the neck, follow-up with the surgeon to have the tube removed and make sure the site is healing well. Most people improve significantly before leaving the hospital, so taking the antibiotics and returning to the hospital if there are any problems are the most important parts of follow-up.
Prevention
Prevention of epiglottitis can be achieved with proper vaccination schedules against H influenza type b (Hib). Therefore, it is important that your doctor make the appropriate recommendations for vaccination against Hib for children (see the children's immunization schedule). Adult vaccination is not routinely recommended, except for people with immune problems such as sickle cell anemia, splenectomy, cancers, or other diseases affecting the immune system.
When there is a member of a family with an unvaccinated child under age 4 years who is exposed to a person with H influenza epiglottitis, preventive medication (rifampin, Rifadin) should be given to all household contacts to make sure that both the person with the illness and the rest of the household have the bacteria completely eradicated from their bodies. This prevents the formation of a "carrier state" in which a person has the bacteria in the body but is not actively sick. Carriers can still spread the infection to other family members in this state.
Outlook
A person with epig