Acute epiglottis in children and adults. Nasotracheal intubation, tracheostomy or careful observation? Current status in Scandinavia.

A review was performed of the treatment of 92 patients with acute epiglottitis with special reference to the different procedures employed in children and adults. Intubation was performed in 74 per cent of the children but in only six per cent of the adults. More than half of the children were initially observed only, but of these 58 per cent eventually needed intubation. No deaths occurred. We present our management protocol as well as a survey of the routine management of acute epiglottitis in children in the five Scandinavian countries. The number of initially observed patients ranged from nil per cent in Iceland to 35 per cent in Finland. When an artificial airway is needed, 92-100 per cent of the patients are intubated, 0-8 per cent tracheostomized, and 0-5 per cent one or the other, as a standard procedure. Tracheostomy is performed in departments where the facilities do not permit sufficient observation of patients treated by intubation.