Document Detail


Emergency management of pediatric skin and soft tissue infections in the community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus era.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20370748     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVES: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are increasing in incidence, yet there is no consensus regarding management of these infections in the era of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). This study sought to describe current pediatric emergency physician (PEP) management of commonly presenting skin infections. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of subscribers to the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Emergency Medicine (AAP SoEM) list-serv. Enrollment occurred via the list-serv over a 3-month period. Vignettes of equivocal SSTI, cellulitis, and skin abscess were presented to participants, and knowledge, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches were assessed. RESULTS: In total, 366 of 606 (60.3%) list-serv members responded. The mean (+/- standard deviation [SD]) duration of practice was 13.6 (+/-7.9) years, and 88.6% practiced in a pediatric emergency department. Most respondents (72.7%) preferred clinical diagnosis alone for equivocal SSTI, as opposed to invasive or imaging modalities. For outpatient cellulitis, PEPs selected clindamycin (30.6%), trimethoprim-sulfa (27.0%), and first-generation cephalosporins (22.7%); methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) was routinely covered, but many regimens failed to cover CA-MRSA (32.5%) or group A streptococcus (27.0%). For skin abscesses, spontaneous discharge (67.5%) was rated the most important factor in electing to perform a drainage procedure; fever (19.9%) and patient age (13.1%) were the lowest. PEPs elected to prescribe trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-Sx; 50.0%) or clindamycin (32.7%) after drainage; only 5% selected CA-MRSA-inactive agents. All PEPs suspected CA-MRSA as the etiology of skin abscesses, and many attributed sepsis (22.1%) and invasive pneumonia (20.5%) to CA-MRSA, as opposed to MSSA. However, 23.9% remained unaware of local CA-MRSA prevalence for even common infections. CONCLUSIONS: Practice variation exists among PEPs for management of SSTI. These results can be used to measure changes in SSTI practices as standardized approaches are delineated.
Authors:
Rakesh D Mistry; Keith Weisz; Halden F Scott; Elizabeth R Alpern
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine     Volume:  17     ISSN:  1553-2712     ISO Abbreviation:  Acad Emerg Med     Publication Date:  2010 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-04-07     Completed Date:  2010-08-09     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9418450     Medline TA:  Acad Emerg Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  187-93     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
(c) 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and the Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. mistryr@email.chop.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
Cellulitis / therapy
Clindamycin / therapeutic use
Community-Acquired Infections
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emergency Medical Services
Health Care Surveys
Humans
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Physician's Practice Patterns / statistics & numerical data*
Skin Diseases, Infectious / drug therapy*
Soft Tissue Infections / drug therapy*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Anti-Bacterial Agents; 18323-44-9/Clindamycin

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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