The Role of Direct Laryngoscopy in Hospitalized Croup

Objective: Provide insight into: 1) The frequency of viral vs bacterial hospitalized croup at Texas Children’s Hospital. 2) The epidemiology of hospitalized croup. 3) The efficacy of applying operative direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy (DL and B) in the detection of other significant respiratory pathology.Method: A retrospective chart analysis of 345 patients with the coded diagnosis of croup at TCH between 2003 and 2011 was carried out. Patients with tracheostomy, epiglottitis, and non-respiratory complications were excluded from the study. Patient information from children with a DL and B was compared to those without the procedure and tabulated into diagnostic and therapeutic criteria. DL and B findings were categorized as normal, grade 1 ( 90%).Results: Of the 345 patients, 125 were girls (36.2%) and 224 were boys (64.9%; mean age, 3.25 years). Of these, 25 patients (7.25%) underwent operative endoscopy. Of these 25, 7 ...