Bacterial tracheitis – A life threatening cause of stridor: A case report

Abstract

Bacterial tracheitis is an invasive bacterial infection of the trachea. It is an uncommon cause of life-threatening airway obstruction in children without an artificial airway, with an incidence of 0.1 per 1 lakh children per year. The clinical presentation is similar to viral croup and disease progression can be rapid. We report a case of bacterial tracheitis in a previously well infant who presented with acute febrile illness followed by stridor and impending respiratory failure. Early intervention measures such as airway clearance with bronchoscopy, mechanical ventilation, and initiation of empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics along with other supportive measures resulted in good outcome.

Keywords

• bacterial croup
• bacterial laryngotracheobronchitis
• bacterial tracheitis
• membranous croup
• membranous laryngotracheobronchitis