New therapy for postintubation laryngeal edema and tracheitis in children

Abstract

In the postanesthetic period, laryngeal edema and tracheitis with obstructive croup-like symptoms occur in a certain percentage of children who undergo intubation for surgery. In a small portion of these children, despite the usual therapy with cool mist occasionally combined with corticosteroids, progression of the obstruction requires more active means of restoring the airway. With positive pressure assistance to ventilation while nebulizing racemic epinephrine, we have been able to relieve the obstruction in all children with this complication without recourse to reintubation or tracheotomy.