AIR Series: Infectious Disease, Hematology, Oncology 2014

Welcome to the first ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Module! In an effort to reward our readers for the reading and learning they are already doing online, we have created an Individual Interactive Instruction (III) opportunity utilizing FOAM resources for US Emergency Medicine residents. For each module, the board curates and scores a list of blogs and podcasts. A quiz is available to complete after each module to obtain residency conference credit. Once completed, your name and institution will be logged into our private Google Drive database, which participating residency program directors can access to provide access.

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By Andrew Grock, MD|2018-10-28T21:23:15-07:00Jul 16, 2014|Approved Instructional Resources (AIR series), Heme-Oncology, Infectious Disease|

Over the last 5 years, the use of neuraminidase inhibitors for the treatment of influenza has skyrocketed. Emergency physicians have been pushed to prescribe these medications under the belief that they reduced symptoms, the risk of complications, hospitalizations, and transmission. However, the recommendation for the use of these drugs has never sat on firm evidence-based ground. So what did we know then, and what do we know now?

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By Anand Swaminathan, MD MPH|2019-01-28T23:34:05-08:00Apr 14, 2014|Infectious Disease, Tox & Medications|

Cellulitis: Do Not Get Blood Cultures

You are treating a patient with left lower leg cellulitis. The nurse is going to establish IV access, draw blood work, and give analgesia and antibiotics. Before walking into the room, the nurse asks, “Do you need me to grab a set of blood cultures?” Additionally the hospitalist had asked you to order a “set of cultures” on your most recent cellulitis admission. Should you proceed?

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By Jeff Siegler, MD|2016-11-11T19:19:44-08:00Apr 1, 2014|Dermatology, Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Infectious Disease|

ProCESS Study: Identify sepsis early and treat aggressively

Today, the New England Journal of Medicine just released a landmark paper by the ProCESS (Protocolized Care for Early Septic Shock) trial investigators. There has already been much buzz about this on various blogs and websites, including St. Emlyn’s, MedPageToday, and MDAware. I received an email from my colleague Dr. Michael Callaham, who shared some direct comments and pearls from Dr. Donald Yealy, (professor and chair of emergency medicine from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) who was the first author of this writing team. Thank you to Dr. Yealy for allowing me to share your team’s comments with the ALiEM readership.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2019-01-28T21:51:09-08:00Mar 18, 2014|Infectious Disease|

Trick of the Trade: Fist Bump to Reduce Pathogen Transmission

Handshaking has been practiced as far back as the 5th century BC and used today as a common way of greeting others. In the hospital setting this occurs multiple times throughout the day. Many alternatives to the handshake have been developed and utilized, but they have failed to replace the handshake as a form of greeting. Nosocomial infections have been identified as a major preventable complication of inpatient care and one of the most important initiatives to reduce this is hand hygiene. The authors of this study propose the fist bump as a safe and effective way to avoid hand-to-hand contact and therefore reduce transmission of infection. ¹ (more…)

By Salim Rezaie, MD|2019-09-10T13:34:31-07:00Mar 10, 2014|Infectious Disease, Tricks of the Trade|

Blood Cultures in Pneumonia

A 75 year old woman is found to have pneumonia. With a CURB-65 of 3 and a PORT score of 95, she is correctly treated her for community acquired pneumonia with Ceftriaxone and Azithromycin, and admitted. Unfortunately, the admitting service points out that no blood cultures were drawn! What is the evidence for this?

Originally from Clinical Monster blog

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By Andrew Grock, MD|2018-01-30T03:01:01-08:00Feb 17, 2014|Infectious Disease, Pulmonary|

The Not-So-Sick Health-Care Associated Pneumonia Patient: New Treatment Strategy

Health-care associated pneumonia (HCAP) is the term used to describe patients presenting with pneumonia who may be at higher risk of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens than other patients presenting from the community due to recent contact with the health care system. What are the criteria for HCAP?

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By Emily Heil, PharmD, BCPS, AAHIVP|2016-11-11T19:17:36-08:00Nov 26, 2013|Infectious Disease, Pulmonary|

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