Retropharyngeal Abscess in Emergency Medicine Treatment & Management

  • Author: Joseph H Kahn, MD; Chief Editor: Robert E O'Connor, MD, MPH   more...
 
Updated: Jun 17, 2010
 

Prehospital Care

  • Supplemental oxygen and attention to upper airway patency are the essential components of prehospital care in patients with suspected retropharyngeal abscess.
  • If a child exhibits respiratory distress, the sniffing position may be beneficial.
  • Occasionally, endotracheal intubation or cricothyrotomy may be required if the patient exhibits signs of upper airway obstruction.
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Emergency Department Care

ED management of retropharyngeal abscess includes attention to the airway, fluid resuscitation if necessary, antibiotic treatment, and preparation for an emergency operation. Frequent vital sign checks and continuous oxygen saturation monitoring are essential.

  • Airway management
    • Apply supplemental oxygen. In young children, this can be completed in a nonthreatening way by letting the parent direct blow-by oxygen at the child's face.
    • Endotracheal intubation may be required if the patient has signs of upper airway obstruction. It may be difficult because of upper airway swelling.
    • Cricothyrotomy (surgical or needle) may be required in the patient with upper airway obstruction who cannot be intubated. Tracheostomy may be required for definitive airway management.
  • Intravenous fluids are required if the patient is dehydrated because of fever and difficulty swallowing.
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Consultations

An emergent consultation with an ENT specialist is necessary.

  • Consult an ENT specialist as soon as the diagnosis of retropharyngeal abscess is established or as soon as the diagnosis is suspected if the patient is exhibiting signs of upper airway obstruction.
  • If an abscess is present, an ENT specialist can drain it in the operating room.
  • A prospective study in South Korea compared intravenous antibiotics plus surgical drainage with intravenous antibiotics with or without needle drainage. One case of mediastinitis occurred in the nonsurgical group. The authors concluded that, in conjunction with neck CT scanning, selected cases of parapharyngeal abscesses may be treated conservatively without early open surgical drainage.[22]
  • An 11-year chart review of 162 pediatric patients with retropharyngeal abscess at St. Louis Children's Hospital revealed that 126 of the patients required surgery initially, and, of the 36 patients treated medically initially, 17 required surgery.[3]
  • Of 24 pediatric RPAs in children treated at Starship Pediatric Hospital in Auckland, Australia, between 1999 and 2005, 10 (41.7%) required surgery, while 14 (58.3%) did not require surgery.[23]
  • An ENT specialist also may perform a tracheostomy.
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Joseph H Kahn, MD  Director of Medical Student Education, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine

Joseph H Kahn, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, Massachusetts Medical Society, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Michael Glick, DMD  Professor and Acting Chair, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Michael Glick, DMD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Oral Medicine and American Dental Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Mark W Fourre, MD  Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Maine Medical Center; Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Vermont School of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Robert E O'Connor, MD, MPH  Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health System

Robert E O'Connor, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physician Executives, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, Medical Society of Delaware, National Association of EMS Physicians, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Wilderness Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

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A 5-year-old boy presented to the ED with 2 days of neck pain and fever but with no sore throat. The child had vomited once, and the mother reported that he was irritable. The child's temperature was 101.7° F, pulse was 118 beats per minute, respirations were 24 per minute, and blood pressure was 122/65 mm Hg. A decreased range of motion of the neck and a right anterior cervical node were observed; the child refused to swallow. Lateral neck radiographic findings show increased retropharyngeal space (white arrow). The CT scan did not demonstrate an abscess. The child was seen by an ear, nose, and throat specialist; he was admitted and started on intravenous clindamycin. He improved for 2-3 days and then worsened. Repeat neck CT scan findings demonstrated a retropharyngeal abscess. Incision and drainage was performed in the operating room. Cultures of the pus grew group A beta-hemolytic streptococci and alpha-streptococci, both sensitive to clindamycin. He improved and was discharged on the tenth hospital day on oral clindamycin.
An 8-month-old infant boy presented with fever and a stiff neck. According to the mother, the baby was not moving his neck as much as usual. The mother also reported decreased oral intake. His temperature was 100° F, pulse was 104 beats per minute, respirations were 48 per minute, oxygen saturation was 98% (room air [RA]). The left tympanic membrane (TM) was inflamed and nonmobile. Left submandibular and left postauricular nodes were noted. The lateral neck radiograph shows increased retropharyngeal space. The CT scan demonstrated a small retropharyngeal abscess. The WBC count was 26,000 (24 polymorphonuclear leukocytes [P], 5 bands [B], 63 lymphocytes [L], 8 monocytes [M]). The baby was examined by an ear, nose, and throat specialist; he was admitted and started on intravenous clindamycin. He improved over the next few days and was discharged on the fifth hospital day on oral clindamycin with a plan for repeat CT scans of the neck on an outpatient basis.
 
 
 
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