ABSTRACT
La epiglotitis aguda infecciosa es infrecuente en la actualidad, debido a la vacunación contra su principal agente etiológico, el Haemophilus influenzae b. Se requiere alto índice de sospecha ante el cuadro clínico de dificultad respiratoria, estridor, disfonía y fiebre. Se presenta a un niño de 2 años, previamente sano, con esquema de vacunas completas, con dificultad respiratoria aguda y estridor laríngeo, en el que, al momento de realizar la intubación, se realizó el diagnóstico de epiglotitis aguda. Con hemocultivos positivos para Haemophilus influenzae b, cumplió 13 días de tratamiento con ceftriaxona, con hemocultivos de control y cultivo de líquido cefalorraquídeo negativo.
Acute infectious epiglottitis is infrequent at present due to vaccination for its main etiologic agent, Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib). It must be taken into account when we make a differential diagnosis in a child whose clinical symptoms are respiratory distress, stridor, dysphonia and fever. We report a 2-year-old child, previously healthy, whose vaccination calendar was complete, and whose clinical presentation included respiratory distress and stridor; at the moment of the intubation the laryngoscopy showed an acute epiglottitis. Blood cultures were taken, which were positive for Hib. He was treated with ceftriaxone during 13 days, and the control blood cultures and cerebrospinal fluid were negative.