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Best practice
Fifteen-minute consultation: Approach to the infant with stridor and suspected laryngomalacia
  1. Rachel Whittaker1,
  2. Hannah Nieto2,
  3. Kate Stephenson3
  1. 1 Paediatric Department, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK
  2. 2 IMSR, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
  3. 3 ENT, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Rachel Whittaker, Paediatric Department, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, DE22 3NE, UK; rachel.whittaker{at}doctors.net.uk

Abstract

Stridor in an infant is a significant clinical sign; the primary objectives are to ensure that the airway is safe and to arrange timely, appropriate management. A structured history, examination and targeted investigations will determine the cause and guide care.

Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of stridor in an infant. The stridor tends to start shortly after birth, classically presenting as a positional stridor in the first month, which gradually resolves before 12–18 months of age in mild cases. There is a wide spectrum of severity; few require surgical intervention. This article will outline how the infant is appropriately assessed and managed.

  • Neonatology
  • Paediatrics

https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2022-325213

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors RW wrote and edited article. HN designed and edited article. KS designed and edited article.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.