Infectious Diseases Cases
That’s a mouthful.
Anyway, as promised, here are some short and sweet tidbits learned in my infectious diseases rotation (please forgive my abbreviations and lack of links, I’m not in a typing or linking mood):
1) Elderly or very young pt comes in with h/o fever, headache, nuchal rigidity. Could be n. meningitides, so give Rocephin, Listeria > give ampicillin, or s. pneumo > give vancomycin.
2) Pt comes in with sore throat, difficulty swallowing > think group a strep or anaerobes so give unasyn or PCN + clindamycin.
3) Pt bit by cat and has erythema > give clinda for anaerobes, and a PCN for staph and strep OR give unasyn or augmentin (if you add a BLI to a PCN, it covers anarobes as well).
4) Pt w/ cellulitis > think staph or strep > give vanco or bactrim if not resistant. If they have an ulcer or abscess, give vanco bc of skin breakdown.
5) All quinolones have atypical coverage (random factoid).
6) Chronic COPDer on steroids, could be pseudomonas! (or s. peumo or atypicals) so give MAXIPIME! Covers all.
7) Healthcare associated pneumonia > give carbapenem + vanco.
8 ) Community acquired pneumonia > give zithromax (covers atypicals) + ceftriaxone.
9) Febrile pt, increased WBC, RUQ tenderness > give flagyl (to cover anaerobes) + 3rd gen ceph (for gram negatives).
Sorry if that confuses anyone, but it helps me remember when I type it up as well.
Please enjoy the photos along with this random post. All taken in Bushwick over the past 2 days. I will never tire of taking photos of trash.
“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series




My name is Kendra and I am a newly minted doctor about to begin my residency in Psychiatry at

