A 2-year-old boy has been breathing noisily for 1 day. For the past 3 days he has had a “cold,” with a runny nose, fever

A 2-year-old boy has been breathing noisily for 1 day. For the past 3 days he has had a “cold,” with a runny nose, fever (temperature up to 100.4°F [38°C]), and slight cough. The cough has gradually worsened and now has a barking quality.

On examination, the child is sitting up and has a respiratory rate of 48 breaths per minute with marked inspiratory stridor and an occasional barking cough. His other vital signs include an oxygen saturation of 95%, heart rate of 100 beats per minute, and temperature of 101.2°F (38.4°C). He has intercostal retractions, his breath sounds are slightly decreased bilaterally, and his skin is pale. The remainder of the examination is normal.

1.What is stridor?

2.What are the common causes of stridor?

3.How are children with croup managed?