Cellulitis in the emergency department
Quick facts
Dr Peter Snelling, A/Prof Andrew Bulmer, Ms Amy Sweeny, Prof Gerben Keijzers, Dr Richard Pellatt, Dr Eve Purdy, Dr Charlotte Alexander, Dr Nimai Etheridge and Dr Son Nghiem
Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and underlying soft tissues and leads to redness, pain and sometimes fever. Once diagnosed, the emergency doctor needs to decide an appropriate type and dose of antibiotic and decide to give it orally (tables/capsules) or intravenously (via a drip).
Despite this being a common diagnosis in the ED, guidelines are not based on high-quality evidence making it difficult for doctors to make evidence-based choices and there is wide variation in how cellulitis is treated. This prospective cohort management study aims to describe the ED management and clinical outcomes of adult patients with cellulitis.