Epiglottitis Acuta

Abstract

Description of 17 cases of epiglottitis acuta, 4 with abscessus epiglottidis, which were treated at the Otolaryngological Clinic, Turku in 1949-59. Further, an outpatient case that led to exitus is described. As a severe laryngeal obstruction, acute epiglottitis is a disease that always requires hospitalization, preferably in a hospital specialized in this field. Owing to the quick onset of the illness and to the fact that its initial symptoms are relatively insignificant a general practitioner especially might neglect to carry out careful laryngoscopy or evaluate his findings wrongly. By choosing a suitable antibiotic or a combination of antibiotics surgical measures are generally not necessary, since even when an epiglottidis abscess appears, the rising pressure will mostly make the abscess burst by itself, and the situation that seems menacing will clear up quickly.