For that reason, a key to treating diphtheria successfully is injecting antitoxin to help the patient's body deal with the high toxin levels. The antitoxin injection generally relieves the symptoms, but this can depend on how soon it is administered and how severe the infection is. Treatment also routinely includes bed rest and antibiotics. The doctor must resort to more drastic measures if swelling of the throat has progressed to the point where breathing has been partly or completely blocked. He or she may administer oxygen or intubate the patient to facilitate breathing.
Intubation involves inserting a small tube into the throat to keep the air passage open.
If swelling is so advanced that it threatens death by asphyxiation, the physician may resort to a tracheotomy. Here, a small slit is cut in the patient's throat below the obstruction and a tube that allows breathing to continue is inserted. Stages and progress Diphtheria's incubation period is usually two to five days after the initial infection. As the disease progresses, toxins given off by the multiplying bacteria cause the characteristic swollen throat. Toxins given off by the bacteria are carried throughout the body by the bloodstream, allowing them to cause other serious complications.