Entorno prehospitalario y manejo en UCI de epiglotitis en un adulto / Approaching the airway in prehospital emergency is a common and potentially life-saving practice

El abordaje de la vía aérea en la unidad de urgencias prehospitalarias es una práctica común que potencialmente salva vidas. El manejo es complejo debido al entorno, lo cual significa un porcentaje mucho más elevado de vías aéreas difíciles que en un ambiente regulado, como en el caso del quirófano.El intento fallido o prolongado de intubación traqueal está asociado a resultados desfavorables y complicaciones graves.La epiglotitis aguda es un trastorno potencialmente letal, clasificado como urgencia médica dentro de las enfermedades de la vía aérea respiratoria superior, que se caracteriza por una evolución repentina y mortal si no se logra una intubación rápida que permita la oxigenación del paciente.Describimos el caso de un paciente de 36 años con estridor, disnea e hipoxemia debido a la obstrucción total de la vía aérea, causada por una epiglotitis aguda. Nuestro objetivo es subrayar esta lesión infrecuente y su manejo desde la unidad prehospitalaria hasta el alta, ilustrando la gravedad de la presentación clínica, el tratamiento actual y el resultado.(AU)

Management by the environment is complex, which means a much higher percentage of difficult airways than in a regulated environment such as the operating room. Failure or prolonged attempt to tracheal intubation is associated with unfavorable outcomes and serious complications. Acute epiglottitis is a life-threatening disorder, classified as a medical emergency within the diseases of the upper respiratory airway and characterized by its sudden and deadly evolution if rapid intubation is not achieved to allow oxygenation of the patient. We describe a 36-year-old male patient with stridor, dyspnea e hypoxemia due to total obstruction of airway, caused by an acute epiglottitis. We aim to highlight this unusual injury and its management from the prehospital until discharge illustrating the severity of the clinical presentation, current treatment and outcome.(AU)

Approaching the airway in prehospital emergency is a common and potentially life-saving practice.

Management by the environment is complex, which means a much higher percentage of difficult airways than in a regulated environment such as the operating room. Failure or prolonged attempt to tracheal intubation is associated with unfavorable outcomes and serious complications. Acute epiglottitis is a life-threatening disorder, classified as a medical emergency within the diseases of the upper respiratory airway and characterized by its sudden and deadly evolution if rapid intubation is not achieved to allow oxygenation of the patient. We describe a 36-year-old male patient with stridor, dyspnea e hypoxemia due to total obstruction of airway, caused by an acute epiglottitis. We aim to highlight this unusual injury and its management from the prehospital until discharge illustrating the severity of the clinical presentation, current treatment and outcome.

Approaching the airway in prehospital emergency is a common and potentially life-saving practice. / Entorno prehospitalario y manejo en UCI de epiglotitis en un adulto.

Management by the environment is complex, which means a much higher percentage of difficult airways than in a regulated environment such as the operating room. Failure or prolonged attempt to tracheal intubation is associated with unfavorable outcomes and serious complications. Acute epiglottitis is a life-threatening disorder, classified as a medical emergency within the diseases of the upper respiratory airway and characterized by its sudden and deadly evolution if rapid intubation is not achieved to allow oxygenation of the patient. We describe a 36-year-old male patient with stridor, dyspnea e hypoxemia due to total obstruction of airway, caused by an acute epiglottitis. We aim to highlight this unusual injury and its management from the prehospital until discharge illustrating the severity of the clinical presentation, current treatment and outcome.