[Results of nasotracheal intubation in acute epiglottitis (author's transl)]

20 of 34 patients with acute epiglottitis were treated with nasotracheal intubation. One patient died because of pneumonia, one patient was clinically dead when he arrived at hospital. After successful reanimation she died some hours later. All other patients left the hospital without any symptoms after an average stay of 12 days. The average duration of nasotracheal intubation was 39 hours. Nasotracheal intubation and adequate antibiotic therapy offer the most effective and secure approach to acute epiglottitis. A protocol for diagnostic and therapeutic regimen is presented.