A 7-year-old child is brought to the ER at midnight by his mother after symptoms appeared abruptly. The nurse's initial assessment reveals a temperature of 104.5F (40.3C), difficulty swallowing, drooling, absence of a spontaneous cough, and agitation. These symptoms are indicative of which one of the following?
- Acute tracheitis
- Acute spasmodic croup
- Acute epiglottis
- Acute laryngotracheobronchitis
Answer(s): C
Explanation:
(A) Clinical manifestations of acute tracheitis include a 23 day history of URI, croupy cough, stridor, purulent secretions, high fever. (B) Clinical manifestations of spasmodic croup include a history of URI, croupy cough, stridor, dyspnea, low-grade fever, and a slow progression. The age group most affected is 3 months to 3 years. (C) Three clinical observations have been found to be predictive of epiglottitis: the presence of drooling, absence of spontaneous cough, and agitation.Epiglottitis has a rapid onset that is accompanied by high fever and dysphagia. (D) Clinical manifestations of acute laryngotracheobronchitis (LTB) include slow onset with a history of URI, low-grade fever, stridor, brassy cough, and irritability.
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