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Laryngitis Medical Treatment

After a careful exam the doctor will decide on a course of treatment.

• Most of the time, the doctor will recommend the home care actions and may recommend that the patient see an ear, nose, and throat specialist (otolaryngologist).
  
  
• If the doctor is concerned about a bacterial infection causing the laryngitis, then he or she will prescribe a course of antibiotics.
  
  
• Sometimes, the doctor may choose to observe the patient in the office or the emergency department for a short period of time in order to be sure he or she is not getting worse quickly.

If the patient has any signs of respiratory distress or think the airway could swell and close, then he or she will be admitted to the hospital.

• In some emergency situations, more commonly in children than adults, the danger of the throat swelling shut exists. This is usually from a contagious infection.
  
  
• It may be necessary to place a breathing tube into the patient's throat in order to breathe for him or her (the procedure is called intubation).
  
  
• The patient will then be placed on a ventilator (a machine to breathe for them).
  
  
• In this situation, the patient will receive IV antibiotics and likely steroids.