Patients with Ludwig's angina can experience rapid deterioration of their airway and expeditious care is crucial to avoid disaster. Techniques of airway management include awake intubation, fiberoptic intubation and awake tracheotomy. Of these, it is the authors' opinion that awake tracheotomy provides the safest airway management. D. Surgical Incision and drainage is almost always part of the treatment. Intraoral drainage is appropriate for peritonsillar abscesses and small retropharyngeal or sublingual abscesses.
Extraoral drainage is most appropriate for all other abscesses.
In general the wounds should be drained and left open or only partially closed. Life-threatening Deep Fascial Space Infections of the Head and Neck. Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Deep-Neck Infections. Cervical Fascia and Deep Neck Infections. Cervical Fascia and Deep Neck Infections.