The American journal of emergency medicine
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Acute infectious epiglottitis, a serious life-threatening disease because of its potential for sudden upper airway obstruction, is most commonly seen in children, although it can occur in adults. Because acute epiglottitis is uncommon in adults, it is often misdiagnosed. Five cases are presented that demonstrate the clinical characteristics of adult epiglottitis. Knowledge of the symptoms and signs of the disease will lead to early diagnosis and appropriate management, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality rates.
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Letter Comparative Study
Comparison of paramedic intubation training techniques.
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Mixed venous oxygen saturation (MVO2) is a valuable parameter in monitoring critically ill patients because it serves as an index of the adequacy of the oxygen delivery system. Mixed venous oxygen saturation as reflected by the easily obtainable central venous oxygen saturation (CVO2) may prove useful during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as an indicator of both the adequacy of varying CPR regimens and the efficacy of pharmacological interventions. This study investigates the relationship between CVO2 and MVO2 and its clinical usefulness during CPR. ⋯ Central venous and mixed venous blood-gas samples were drawn every five minutes during a 30-minute period of CPR. The correlation between CVO2 and MVO2 was 0.8719 (P less than 0.001) before arrest but deteriorated at all times during CPR with values ranging from 0.1589 (P = 0.542) to 0.5781 (P = 0.024). Although statistically significant at times, the correlation between CVO2 and MVO2 during CPR is not consistently high enough to enable the routine substitution of CVO2 for MVO2 in assessing the oxygen delivery system.
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Epiglottitis should be suspected in the adolescent with throat pain and dysphagia out of proportion to pharyngeal inflammation. Endolateral neck radiographs or indirect laryngoscopy will confirm the diagnosis. ⋯ Therapy consists of airway stabilization and antibiotic administration. Although epiglottitis in adolescents is often less acute and less severe than in younger children, it may be life-threatening.
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Hospital records from 1974 through 1983 contained the cases of 20 patients over 18 years old admitted with supraglottitis (epiglottitis). Most patients presented with pharyngitis and odynophagia, and were diagnosed by laryngoscopy and neck radiographs. ⋯ Adults without respiratory distress can be treated in the intensive care unit with inhaled mist, antibiotics, and corticosteroids, and such patients usually recover in a few days. Tracheostomy is being supplanted by nasotracheal intubation as the preferred means of securing an endangered airway.