Infections of the airway

Abstract

Infections of the airway in children may present to the anesthetist as an emergency in several locations: the Emergency Department, the Operating Department or on Intensive Care. In all of these locations, relevant and up to date knowledge of presentations, diagnoses, potential complications and clinical management will help the anesthetist and the surgical team, not only with the performance of their interventions, but also in buying time before these are undertaken, avoiding complications and altering the eventual outcome for the child. Diseases such as epiglottitis and diphtheria may show diminished incidence but they have not gone away and their clinical features and essential management remain unchanged. Paradoxically, perhaps, some conditions such as Lemierre's syndrome appear to be making a comeback. In these instances, clinicians need to be alert to these less common conditions, not only in regard to the disease itself but also to potentially serious complications. This article describes those infections of the airway that are most likely to present to the anesthetist, their attendant complications and recommendations for treatment. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.