abscess

Your next patient is a 17-year-old male you had seen one week before for fever and congestion, diagnosed with a viral upper respiratory infection.  He returns this time for nasal congestion, severe frontal headache, fevers, sore throat, and nasal drainage.  When he looks around the room, he gets dizzy and is seeing double.   He is febrile, tachycardic, and ill appearing, and you note proptosis of the right eye, a sluggish pupil, and inability to move the eye due to pain. Is this sinusitis, or something more sinister?

Today’s Medical Malpractice Insights covers sore throat. Isn’t it just pharyngitis?

Abscess is a common presenting complaint in the emergency department. Most abscesses can be managed with simple incision and drainage. Is there an alternative to I & D? What are some indications to consult a surgeon for drainage in the operating room? And when should antibiotics be prescribed? This post will explore current topics in management of abscess in the emergency department.