Chris Elliot interviews Danielle Wurzel on the topic of Croup, a respiratory illness that usually occurs in children aged 6 months to 6 years.
Summary Writer: Theoni Haralabopoulos
Script Writer: Theoni Haralabopoulos
Editors: Danielle Wurzel and Jenifer Liang
Interviewee: Danielle Wurzel
Interviewer: Chris Elliot
Danielle Wurzel is a Paediatric Respiratory Physician, she has appointments as a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital, research fellow at School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, and Honorary Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Institute. Her clinical interests include a broad range of respiratory problems, with a special interest in respiratory viral infections and childhood cough. Danielle has a PhD in wet cough in childhood and bronchiectasis, with an ongoing research program to investigate the early origins of bronchiectasis with the aim of developing interventions to prevent chronic lung diseases in children. Danielle is also a co-author and contributor of the newly released Therapeutic Guidelines on croup, and is the perfect guest to discuss this with us.
Chris is a Consultant Paediatrician who works in a teaching hospital in Sydney and in private rooms. As well as clinical medicine he is enthusiastic about health communication and teaching. Chris is a Conjoint Lecturer for the University of New South Wales and writes the occasional article on child health for mainstream media. He also teaches Advanced Paediatric Life Support and sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Chris completed his Internship at Bankstown Hospital and Paediatric training through the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. On the days when he is not at work he enjoys playing with his children, and also when they play by themselves.
With Dr Danielle Wurzel is a Paediatric Respiratory Physician, she has appointments as a consultant in respiratory medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital, research fellow at School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, and Honorary Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Institute, Victoria, Australia
Croup, or laryngotracheobronchitis, is a respiratory illness that usually occurs in children aged 6 months to 6 years. It is typically a self-limited illness, lasting for 2 to 5 days. Boys are more commonly affected than girls. In Australia, croup is more prevalent in autumn. Croup is characterised by an acute onset inspiratory stridor, barking cough, and hoarseness. Parainfluenza viruses are the most common cause. Croup is a clinical diagnosis and laboratory, or radiological investigations are usually not required. A careful assessment of the child presenting with acute stridor is crucial to confirm the diagnosis of croup and exclude potentially serious alternative causes of upper airway obstruction.
You are a paediatric ED doctor on night shift, and you are asked to see a 3 year old male presenting with acute stridor and a barking cough. The boy’s mother reports his symptoms began a few days ago and are worse at night. He has no significant past medical history. When you see the child, he appears unsettled with an inspiratory stridor at rest. His respiratory rate is increased at 31 and he is tachycardic at 153.
See eTG: Croup Guidelines, available to eTG complete subscribers. Visit https://www.tg.org.au/
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Jenny Steven
June 30, 2021 at 8:34 pmGreat module on croup. Thanks so much.
Jenny. JHO Mackay Base Hospital.