Comparison of Outcomes in Conservative versus Surgical Treatments for Ludwig’s Angina

Abstract

Objective: To compare the treatment outcomes in patients with early stage Ludwig’s angina who received intravenous antibiotics alone with those who received surgical decompression and intravenous antibiotics. Subjects and Methods: Individuals with early stage Ludwig’s angina were studied using a retrospective cohort study design from August 1997 to September 2017. Data were collected from case notes and logbooks. Appropriate statistical tests were chosen to analyze both the independent and outcome variables. Using 2-tailed test, a level of significance of 0.05 was chosen. Results: A total of 55 patients comprising 38 (69.1%) males and 17 (30.9%) females were studied. The conservative group had a higher number of cases that developed airway compromise (26.3%) when compared to those with surgical approach (2.9%). There was an association between the treatment approach and the development of airway compromise (χ2[1] = 4.83, p = 0.03). Conclusion: There was a higher incidence of airway compromise in patients treated with intravenous antibiotics alone than in those treated with surgical decompression and intravenous antibiotics.