EMERGENT DIAGNOSIS OF THE UNKNOWN RASH
An Algorithmic Approach
Heather Murphy-Lavoie, MD, FAAEM, and Tracy Leigh LeGros, MD, PhD, FACEP, FAAEM
emedmag / March 2010 / Emergency Medicine
"According to 2006 data, rash is among the top 20 reasons for ED visits in the United States.2 This article presents a set of novel and easily interpreted algorithms designed to guide the emergency physician in identifying the most common—and potentially lethal—rash syndromes. While an exhaustive review of all pediatric exanthems, endemic fungal etiologies, and parasitic exanthems is beyond the scope of this article, the algorithms presented here will equip the emergency physician to quickly recognize the most common and critical rashes."
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"EMRA’s EM Rashes app offers a fast, easy, and accurate way to diagnose important rashes that present most commonly to emergency departments. Based on a popular rash algorithm developed by dermatological emergency expert Dr. Heather Murphy-Lavoie and featured in Emergency Medicine magazine on the EM:Rap blog, this practical app eliminates diagnostic guesswork. By selecting a rash type, then answering a series of simple yes or no questions (“Is the patient febrile?”), the algorithm leads you into a narrowed differential diagnosis and overview of each disease process, including notable findings and mainstays of treatment. Developed for emergency medicine physicians by emergency medicine physicians, this simple, free application was created by Dr. Murphy-Lavoie and Dr. David Kammer to help with your daily practice."