Emergency Measures for Allergic Throat Edema: What Should You Do?

For laryngeal edema, it is important to use a cool-air humidifier and breathe through the nose. Patients should quit smoking and drink plenty of water. Laryngeal edema can manifest as adverse symptoms such as sore throat, hoarse voice, difficulty breathing, fever, and throat pain. It is crucial to be aware of emergency measures for laryngeal edema, especially in cases of allergic reactions. Let's explore these measures in detail.

a. Immediately notify the doctor and anesthesiologist if the patient experiences acute laryngeal edema leading to asphyxia.

b. Conduct urgent assessment. If the patient exhibits symptoms such as worsening stridor, difficulty or loss of voice, difficulty breathing, worsening cyanosis, facial and neck swelling, and hypoxemia indicating airway obstruction, with SpO2 ≤ 85% or even unresponsive to calls and cardiac arrest, immediate resuscitation should be performed with endotracheal intubation or tracheotomy to relieve airway obstruction and correct hypoxic symptoms.

c. Before the attending doctor and anesthesiologist arrive, it is necessary to open the airway, immediately relieve respiratory obstruction, use a simple respirator for pressurized oxygen breathing, establish effective lung ventilation, and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation if necessary to avoid delaying resuscitation.

d. Quickly establish two intravenous access routes and administer medication according to doctor's orders.

e. Ensure that resuscitation carts, defibrillators, suction devices, suction equipment, ventilators, intubation lights, and other resuscitation equipment are promptly available and in standby mode. For patients with cardiac arrest, a set of cardiac resuscitation drugs should be kept in standby mode. For patients with symptoms of anaphylactic shock, epinephrine and dexamethasone should be kept in standby mode.

f. Patients undergoing neck surgery are prone to laryngeal edema. It is essential to have a simple respirator, intubation equipment, tracheotomy equipment, sterile paraffin oil, and sterile gloves at the bedside.

g. Assist the anesthesiologist in endotracheal intubation (remove the bed board before intubation, position the patient flat with the head tilted backwards, pad the shoulders with a soft pillow if necessary, fully expose the airway, and keep the airway in a straight line). Pre-adjust the ventilator parameters to maintain normal ventilator operation.

h. Closely observe vital signs, SpO2, consciousness, and pupil changes, and carefully monitor the patient's condition and record resuscitation efforts.

i. Closely monitor blood gas analysis values and other routine test indicators.

j. Conduct relevant incident discussions, summarize experience, enhance nursing care, and prevent the occurrence of complications.

Symptoms of laryngeal edema include throat pain, hoarse voice, laryngeal stridor, and difficulty breathing. Fever, chills, and sore throat may also be present. Examination under a laryngeal mirror may reveal deep red edema and a shiny surface of the mucosa, stridor, hoarse voice, difficulty breathing, and even asphyxia. Diffuse edema and pallor of the laryngeal mucosa may also be observed.

a. It is important to keep the mucosa covering the vocal cords moist by using a cool-air humidifier. Dry mucosa can increase stickiness and become an excellent adsorbent for allergens or irritants. Using an air humidifier can help address this issue.

b. Drinking plenty of water is recommended. Experts suggest consuming 8-10 glasses of water daily, as well as fruit juices and lemon tea. Warm water is preferred as cold water may exacerbate the problem.

c. Breathing through the nose is a natural way to keep the throat moist.

d. Smoking is a major cause of throat dryness. Therefore, it is advisable to quit smoking when experiencing laryngitis.