ID

The patient with fever in the ED is a common occurrence. There are many etiologies for fever including non-infectious and infectious causes, some life-threatening. This post is full of pearls and pitfalls in the evaluation and management of patients with fever in the ED.

Pneumonia is an illness frequently seen in our emergency departments. But, are all presentations actually pneumonia? Are we missing other illnesses that present similarly to pneumonia? Which ones pose significant morbidity and mortality risk to our patients? What clues are out there that will aid us in making an alternative and critical diagnosis?

A few of the questions in your mind should at least be: what is most likely to kill this patient, do I need to get a CT of the head, does he need a lumbar puncture, does he need any urgent medications, and what labs should I order?