Tracheitis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Tracheitis

Alternative Names:

Bacterial tracheitis; Acute bacterial tracheitis

Treatment:

The child often needs to have an airway or breathing tube placed (endotracheal tube). Antibiotics are given through a vein, usually a type of penicillin or one of the cephalosporins. Oxygen is usually given, and the blood gases are monitored to be sure that the child is breathing adequately.

Expectations (prognosis):

Full recovery is expected if the patient can be brought to a medical facility in time.

Complications:

airway obstruction with cardiorespiratory arrest and possibly death -- the breathing stops, then the heartbeat stops
toxic shock syndrome (only if the organism is Staphylococcus)

Calling your health care provider:

Go to the emergency room if your child has had a recent upper respiratory infection and suddenly develops a high fever, worsening cough, and breathing difficulty. This is a true emergency and requires immediate medical attention.

Review Date: 4/11/2005
Reviewed By: Kevin Fung, MD, FRCS(C), Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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