POCUS for Abscess – A Large Meta-Analysis
Spoon Feed
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was accurate in distinguishing cellulitis from abscess.
Dermatology
You Glued the Eye Shut – What Now?
Spoon Feed
If you accidentally glue someone’s eye shut, soaking the eye in dexamethasone, polymyxin B, neomycin antibiotic drops was most effective at loosening histoacryl tissue adhesive.
Resurrecting Lowly Cephalexin for Non-purulent SSTI
Spoon Feed
Treating non-purulent cellulitis with narrow spectrum antibiotics improves meaningful patient outcomes. Stop throwing vancomycin around or adding TMP/SMX to cephalexin if there is no pus. See this algorithm.
POCUS for Abscess – How Accurate Is It?
Spoon Feed
Point of care ultrasound was accurate for diagnosis of skin abscess, but the results of this review may have been inflated. It is likely most helpful in uncertain cases.
Simple Cool Running Water Reduces Burn Severity in Children
Simply providing cool running water for 20 minutes within 3 hours of injury for children with burns was associated with a marked reduction in need for skin grafting and possibly burn depth and need for hospitalization.
POCUS for Abscess – Is It Accurate?
Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) wasn’t better than physician judgment when they were certain an abscess was present, but it was of some value in equivocal cases, though far from a gold standard.
Propofol – Green Hair Discoloration
Propofol may rarely cause greenish discoloration of the hair. It is benign and self-limited.
I&D Only or Add Antibiotics?
Treating skin and soft tissue abscesses with antibiotics in addition to incision and drainage (I&D) resulted in significantly increased clinical cure rate (NNT = 14) and decreased incidence of new lesions (NNT = 10) compared to I&D alone.
When Will Oral Antibiotics for Cellulitis Fail?
”Tachypnea at triage, chronic ulcers, history of MRSA colonization or infection, and cellulitis within the past year,” were the risk factors associated with failure of oral antibiotic therapy for non-purulent cellulitis.
Does Prednisone Help Post-herpetic Neuralgia?
Corticosteroids did not reduce the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia at 6 months or pain severity at 3, 6, or 12 months. However, the evidence for this review was fairly weak. Two trials indicated that steroids may reduce short-term pain and speed healing at one month.