Management of acute epiglottitis in pediatric patients.

Of 41 pediatric cases of acute epiglottitis treated at the same institution during an 8-yr period, 33 patients were managed by nasotracheal intubation, one by tracheostomy performed at a referring hospital, and seven by intensive care observation and iv antibiotics. Twenty of the 33 nasotracheally intubated patients underwent intubation in the pediatric ICU by the pediatric anesthesiologist-intensivist, who used iv anesthetic agents and muscle relaxants. The remainder were intubated at referring hospitals. All of the intubated patients were paralyzed, sedated, and mechanically ventilated. The intubation technique caused no apparent complications; however, it required the skill and expertise of an experienced pediatric anesthesiologist-intensivist.