emDocs - March 25, 2019 - Author: Elfatihi M - Edited by: Koyfman A and Long B
"Take home points
- Rapid intervention should proceed diagnostic work up in the ill-appearing patient.
- Intubation for ill-appearing patients should be performed by proficient healthcare clinicians, with ENT and anesthesia consultation recommended.
- A smaller ETT should be ready for a smaller than anticipated airway due to edema.
- Stridor, fever, and rapidly progressing symptoms are most likely to be epiglottitis or bacterial tracheitis.
- In afebrile patient with stridor and progressively worsening symptoms, consider foreign body, anaphylaxis, or thermal epiglottitis in the appropriate clinical setting.
- A clinician with appropriate airway equipment should accompany stable patients to radiology in case of deterioration.
- There is a wide differential for stridor, but this can be narrowed based on the timing of stridor in the respiratory cycle, age of patients, and acuity."