ENT Emergencies Lecture Powerpoint Flashcards
What comes first in an ENT emergency?
Airway
Most common pediatric illness causing stridor (6-36 months)
Croup/acute laryngotracheobronchitis
Croup/acute laryngotracheobronchitis presentation
Starts with URI symptoms, low grade fever, within 1-2 days develop hoarseness, barking cough, respiratory distress, symptoms resolve within 3-7 days but most can last 2 weeks
Severe croup may be quiet due to…
….significant airway obstruction
Westley croup score
A survey to score symptoms between 0-12 ranging severity with 12 being impending respiratory failure in a patient with croup
Croup diagnosis (3)
- primarily clinical
- AP neck radiograph presenting with steeple sign
- CBC and other basic shit
Croup treatment (mild and significant (3))
- Mild can be done at home with management
- significant respiratory distress will require oxygenation with ventilatory support (bag ventilation mask but potentially intubation (rare less than 2%)), single dose dexamethasone .6mg/kg oral, IM, or IV, or nebulized racemic epi
Bacterial tracheitis
Uncommon cause of upper airway obstruction except in patients with tracheostomy or ET tube that is more common in the pediatric presentation, possible with croup patients that worsen or do not respond to typical treatments, majority require intubation as treatment, high grade fever unlike croup, no response to epi
Only definitive way to diagnose bacterial tracheitis
Laryngotracheobroncoscopy
Epiglottitis
Acute inflammation caused by bacterial infection typically of epiglottis and surrounding tissues, uncommon in US more common in populations lacking against Haemophilus influenza type B immunization, viruses do not typically cause but can predispose to bacterial infection, sees RAPID* symptom progression, often present with sore throat, dysphagia, hot potato voice, tripoding
Classic clinical triad of epiglottitis
Drooling
Dysphagia
Distress
Epiglottitis diagnostic studies (3)
- secure the airway first**
- nasopharyngoscopy/laryngoscopy
- thumb sign on x ray
Epiglottitis treatment options (3)
- supplemental O2 unless agitates patient
- dexamethasone
- empiric antibiotics
Most common deep neck infection in children, what about adults?
- tonsillar/pharyngeal infections
- dental infection/abscess
Up to 1/2 of deep neck infections will lack…
….a identifiable source, and are often polymicrobial with at least 5 diff strains
Gold standard diagnostic study for deep neck infections
CT scan of neck
Deep neck infection treatment options (3)
- Airway first priority
- IV antibiotics
- I&D
Peritonsillar abscess development
Acute pharyngitis/tonsilitis that sees worsening of the throat pain unilaterally
Peritonsillar abscess diagnostic studies (2)
- CBC
- thin needle aspiration or I&D + culture after sedation
Peritonsillar abscess treatment options (2)
- 2nd or 3rd gen cephalosporin
- Single dose IV dexamethasone
Lemierre’s syndrome
Infectious thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein often following delayed/missed diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess that progresses resulting in persistent bacteremia
Retropharyngeal abscess, and what happens if it isn’t treated?
Collection of pus in the posterior of the throat behind the posterior pharyngeal wall, if spreads to mediastinitis mortality is close to 50%
Retropharyngeal abscess diagnostic studies (3)
- CBC
- I&D and culture
- CXR to rule out mediastinitis
Retropharyngeal abscess treatment options (1)
-IV broad spectrum antibiotics