Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Diagnosis. First, the medical team ensures that the airway is open and that enough oxygen is getting through. The team monitors breathing and blood oxygen levels. Oxygen levels that drop too low might need breathing aid. Tests after breathing is stable. Throat exam.
Epiglottitis is characterized by inflamed tissue in your epiglottis. It's a potentially life-threatening condition. Learn who gets it, why, and how it's treated.
Epiglottitis, or inflammation of your epiglottis, can result in several serious symptoms, including difficulty breathing and swallowing. It’s a medical emergency. If you or someone you know exhibits epiglottitis symptoms, call 911 or head to your nearest emergency room immediately.
Epiglottitis is characterized by inflamed tissue in your epiglottis. It's a potentially life-threatening condition. Learn who gets it, why, and how it's treated.
Diagnosis is made on clinical grounds and laboratory or other interventions should not preclude or delay timely control of the airway if epiglottitis is suspected. Once the airway has been secured and antibiotics have been initiated, the condition usually resolves rapidly.
Apply the latest diagnostic tools and imaging techniques to confirm epiglottitis and rule out other conditions. Differentiate between infectious and noninfectious causes of epiglottitis to guide appropriate management strategies.
Doctors diagnose epiglottitis by looking at the epiglottis with a thin, flexible viewing tube (laryngoscope), typically in an operating room. X-rays may be taken when symptoms are mild and epiglottitis seems less likely.
Epiglottitis is not always easy to diagnose and because it is so rare, it is commonly misdiagnosed as strep throat or croup. Tests for epiglottitis may include X-rays, laryngoscopy, blood tests, arterial blood gas, and blood cultures. Whenever epiglottitis is suspected, immediate hospitalization is required. Antibiotics may be prescribed.
Epiglottitis is an infectious disease, classically caused by H influenzae, which causes swelling of the epiglottis and supraglottic structures. Because epiglottitis can rapidly cause airway compromise, the diagnosis should always be considered an airway emergency.
Blood tests and/or throat swabs are done to determine which organism is causing the infection. Most people begin to recover within 24 to 48 hours after receiving antibiotics. Breathing tubes usually can be removed soon after that. It may take up to a week or more to recover completely.