emDocs - January 3, 2017 - Authors: Boushra M and Bradby C
Edited by: Koyfman A and Long B
..."Bacterial infections are a common diagnosis in the emergency department, and emergency physicians are often tasked with providing antibiotics for outpatient management or beginning antibiotics prior to admission. Antibiotic treatment is not without side effects, and treatment started in the emergency department is frequently empiric. Therefore, an understanding of the most likely causative organisms as well as local patterns of susceptibility and resistance is paramount to adequate treatment, appropriate antibiotic selection, and responsible antibiotic stewardship. Important historical details to elicit include allergies, recent antibiotic use, prior antibiotic failure, dialysis use, use of immunosuppressants or history of immunocompromise, culture results of prior infections, and contact with healthcare facilities, including recent hospitalization, living in a care facility, or recent invasive procedures such as ureteral catheterizations or intubation. These details offer vital information regarding possible bacterial resistance or the presence of opportunistic infection. Because multiple empiric regimens exist for infectious disease in the emergency department, contacting the hospital pharmacy about the local antibiogram may help tailor the empiric regimen to local microbial susceptibilities. Please keep this in mind with the recommendations discussed in each table. The following is a discussion of the most common or most emergent ED-diagnosed bacterial infections, their most likely causative organisms, and current recommendations for empiric treatment..."