Upper Respiratory Infections (Colds, Epiglottitis, Laryngotracheobronchitis), Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract Upper respiratory tract infections are the most common acute illnesses evaluated in an outpatient setting. They can range from the common cold, generally mild and self-limited, to more severe, potentially life-threatening, infections, including croup and epiglottitis. This chapter reviews the etiologies, common comorbidities, clinical interventions for treatment, and anesthetic implications of common upper respiratory tract infections as well as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and cystic fibrosis. The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that causes a substantial social and economic burden. Epiglottitis most commonly has a bacterial etiology and leads to a life-threatening inflammation of structures above the glottis. Croup is a pediatric respiratory tract illness that represents the most common cause of inspiratory stridor, barking cough, and hoarseness in febrile children. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a form of chronic lung disease that develops in preterm neonates commonly treated with positive pressure ventilation and oxygen therapy. Cystic fibrosis is a multisystemic disease of the exocrine glands that results in chronic respiratory infections, with end-stage lung disease as the leading cause of death. Anesthesiologists should be well versed in the perioperative considerations and implications for each of these disease processes.