Airway management of adult epiglottitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
The rate of airway intervention for adult epiglottitis has decreased over four decades to a current level of 10%. Tracheal intubation is a high-risk scenario with a 1 in 25 failure rate.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with epiglottitis, studies describing airway management 1980–2020
- Participants
- 10,630 adults · 56 studies
- Outcome
- Prevalence of airway intervention
Methodological detailsrandom-effects model, subgroups by decade of publication, Searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE®, and Embase®
- Random-effects model
- Subgroups by decade of publication
- Searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE®, and Embase®
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Airway intervention
Overall rate of airway intervention
15.6%
95% CI 12.9–18.8%
Rate decreased between 1980 and 2020
from 20% to 10%
Further pooled results
Tracheal intubation
- Overall rate
- 10.2% (95% CI 7.1-13.6%)
Failed intubation
- Overall rate
- 4.2% (95% CI 1.4-8.0%)
Airway technique summary (128 cases)
- Performed awake
- 75 (58.6%)
- Involved GA
- 53 (41.4%)
- Primary technique failure, cases
- 32
Original publication
Airway management of adult epiglottitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJA Open. Published 5 January 2024. doi:10.
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