Acute epiglottitis - 25 years' experience in management, The Montreal Children's Hospital.

Acute epiglottitis is the most treacherous inflammatory process that can affect the respiratory tract. It can be a cause of sudden death in children. The clinical features of this entity are reviewed and our experience with its management at The Montreal Children's Hospital during the past 25 years is presented. The establishment of a "secure" airway by tracheostomy and in recent years, by nasotracheal intubation has decreased to practically nil the mortality of children who arrive alive at this hospital with acute epiglottitis.