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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment of epiglottis involves first making sure you or your child can breathe, and then treating any infection you may have.
Helping you breathe
The first priority in treating epiglottitis is ensuring that you or your child is receiving enough air. This may mean wearing a mask that delivers oxygen to the lungs, though it's more likely that you or your child will have a breathing tube placed into the windpipe through the nose or mouth. The tube must remain in place until the swelling in your or your child's throat has decreased — sometimes for several days.
In extreme cases or if more conservative measures fail, the doctor may need to create an emergency airway by inserting a needle directly into an area of cartilage in your or your child's trachea. This procedure, called a tracheotomy, allows air into your lungs while bypassing the larynx.
Treating infection
If your epiglottitis is related to an infection, intravenous antibiotics will be given once you or your child is breathing freely. Until the doctor knows the results of the blood and tissue cultures, you or your child is likely to be treated with a broad-spectrum drug. The antibiotic may be changed later, depending on what's causing the epiglottitis.
- Woods CR. Epiglottitis (supraglottitis): Clinical features and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- Woods CR. Epiglottitis (supraglottitis): Treatment and prevention. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- Epiglottitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec08/ch090/ch090l.html. Accessed March 16, 2010.
- Is your child protected against Hib? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HibDisease/. Accessed March 16, 2010.
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-hib.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- Sobol SE, et al. Epiglottitis and croup. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. 2008;41:551.
- Lustig LR, et al. Ear, nose, and throat disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. 49th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2356. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- 8. Rubin MA, et al. Pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis, and other upper respiratory tract infections. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2883486. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 17, 2010.
- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 23, 2010.
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