Medical Category: Infectious Disease

Take Home Points Clinical presentation is very nonspecific; evaluate all patients presenting with back pain for infectious risk factors. Baseline labs should not guide diagnosis, but may assist in later management. MRI is key to diagnosis, obtain this imaging in …

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been the focus of massive research efforts over the last three years. Our understanding of the disease and effective treatments to reduce mortality have progressed rapidly during this time. However, the medical community is only …

Background: Sepsis can induce numerous physiologic derangements.  At the most severe end, this includes endothelial dysfunction leading to increased vascular permeability, abnormal nitric oxide metabolism, and vasodilation (i.e. septic shock).  Judicious fluid resuscitation is indicated in patients with signs of …

Background: IV fluids are part of the standard resuscitation bundle in septic shock, however it is unclear if they provide a significant benefit. These patients can have a vasodilated vascular bed and the initial use of fluids is hypothesized to …

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common reasons for anti-microbial use (Tan, 2016). However, the optimal treatment duration for UTI in men is not well studied, and current practice guidelines are based on historical dogma. One …