Necrotizing epiglottitis with necrotizing fasciitis in a child: A case report and review of literature

Necrotizing epiglottitis (NE) is a rare but extremely serious variant of acute bacterial epiglottitis. So far, it has been reported mostly in immunocompromised adults and only seldomly in the pediatric population. We describe the case of a 15-month-old immunocompetent child who presented to our tertiary referral center with necrotizing epiglottitis. This manuscript emphasizes the need for rapid recognition and surgical management of this unusual condition, as well as the importance of laryngeal preservation when facing overwhelming necrosis around the laryngeal cartilaginous framework. A review of the literature using MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science databases was performed to discuss the epidemiology, bacteriology, treatment and prognosis of NE.