Stridor -- history taking.
Introduction:
Questions to be asked:
When did it start? Suddenly -- foreign body;
from birth -- tracheomalacia.
History of choking? (foreign body)
Drooling of saliva?
Associated with cyanosis or breathlessness?
Associated with fever? (croup and epiglottitis)
Cough? Barking cough? (croup); no cough (epiglottitis)
Is it worse at night? (croup)
Immunizations (HiB)
DD: Croup, Epiglottitis, foreign body inhalation, tracheo malacia.
Other causes of stridor:
Tumours (papilloma or haemangioma)
External compression from mediastinal tumours.
Neurological conditions (vagal or recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis)
Laryngeal trauma.
Laryngeal oedema (burns and smoke inhalation).