Case challenge · ENT / Emergency / Airway · teaching

Acute Epiglottitis (Airway) — Management Pathway · case challenge

Given a case, work through the care pathway step by step; the tool checks each choice and scores you. Decisions and basis are taken from this site's reviewed care pathways.

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Case #1ENT / Emergency / Airway

📋 Case data

Airway obstruction signs?Drooling/stridor/respiratory distress/rapid progression

Data is taken from this pathway's reviewed node text. Work through the pathway step by step.

Step 1 / 1 · Airway obstruction signs?

Any signs of airway obstruction?

💡 Acute supraglottic inflammation/obstruction (Hib, children 2–7; increasing in adults = supraglottitis), an airway emergency. Rapid high fever, severe sore throat, dysphagia, drooling, muffled voice, stridor, tripod/sniffing position, toxic appearance; in adults the posterior pharynx is normal in 90% but the sore throat is out of proportion to the exam, with pain on moving the larynx/hyoid (unlike croup, epiglottitis usually has no cough). Key: do not examine the throat/no tongue depressor/do not agitate/do not lay flat/do not delay for imaging (all can precipitate complete obstruction).

For teaching. Decisions and their basis are taken from this site's reviewed care pathways; for licensed clinicians/trainees, this does not replace clinical judgment or local protocols.