Open AccessLudwig\'s Angina: A Nightmare Worsened by Adverse Drug Reaction to Antibiotics
Author(s) -
Mohamed Hisham,
Mundilipalayam N Sivakumar,
Ranjan Kumar,
P Nandakumar
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
indian journal of critical care medicine/indian journal of critical care medicine
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.317
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1998-359X
pISSN - 0972-5229
DOI - 10.4103/ijccm.ijccm_189_15
Subject(s) - medicine , angina , airway , exacerbation , intensive care unit , anesthesia , airway obstruction , adverse effect , surgery , intensive care medicine , myocardial infarction
A 52-year-old obese gentleman presented to the hospital with complaints of fever and shortness of breath for 10 days. He was admitted in the ward and treated for acute exacerbation of asthma. He was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for persistent fever, neck swelling, airway obstruction and desaturation. Ludwig's angina was suspected and computed tomography of neck confirmed it. A difficult airway was anticipated and preceded with surgical tracheostomy. The patient had hypersensitivity reactions to piperacillin/tazobactam; hence, he was treated with clindamycin and metronidazole. The patient improved and was discharged after five days of ICU stay and 12 days of hospitalization. This case summarizes the rare incidence of Ludwig's angina with antibiotic adverse reactions. If angioneurotic edema is coincidental with features of Ludwig's angina, it becomes more challenging. Early identification, securing the airway, and antibiotic administration are the keystone to better survival.