Archive

Medical Category: Infectious Disease

Should we Pump up the Juice (Steroids) in Septic Shock?

Background: A Cochrane review was published in 2015 evaluating 33 trials with 4,268 participants to evaluate the effects of corticosteroids on death at one month in patients with sepsis.  In that meta-analysis the authors concluded that despite the overall low ...

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Infectious Disease

Bacterial Endocarditis

Background: Definition Infective Endocarditis (IE) = Inflammation of the endothelium of the heart, heart valves (or both) (Osman 2013) Epidemiology Annual incidence = 5-7 cases per 100,000 (Fraimow 2013) 40,000 to 50,000 new cases in the US per year. Average ...

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Infectious Disease

Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis

Definition: Acute infection of the ascitic fluid in a patient with liver disease without another source of infection Epidemiology: (Runyon 1988, Runyon 1988, Borzio 2001) Incidence 10-25% risk of at least one episode per year 20% risk in those with ascites ...

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Infectious Disease

Perichondritis: Not Just Simple Cellulitis

Background: Perichondritis is an infection of the connective tissue of the ear that covers the cartilaginous auricle or pinna, excluding the lobule (Caruso 2014). The term perichondritis is itself a misnomer, as the cartilage is almost always involved, with abscess ...

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Infectious Disease

Initial Antibiotic Choice in Uncomplicated Cellulitis

Background: Cellulitis is a common emergency department (ED) presentation. Despite the fact that diagnosis remains relatively straight forward, complexity remains in management in terms of the causative agent and appropriate antibiotic regimen. Though beta-hemolytic Streptococci are the most common causative ...

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Infectious Disease

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