Outpatient Treatment of Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections in the Emergency Department.

One of the most commonly treated infections in the emergency department (ED) is an uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Multiple classes of antibiotics are frequently used to treat this condition, but not all have equivalent efficacy, and many may confer risks to not only the patient but society as a whole if used on a large scale. These antibiotic selections should also be guided by local antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and general multidisciplinary recommendations for therapy should be developed on a local scale to assist prescribing patterns. The proactive development of a routine approach to reviewing and addressing positive cultures following discharge from the ED should also be developed and implemented in order to ensure that optimal patient care is provided. The objective of this review is to assess the available literature to isolate which antibiotics and approaches to care are the most appropriate options for treating uncomplicated outpatient urinary tract infections in the ED.

The Cost and Burden of the Residency Match in Emergency Medicine.

INTRODUCTION: To obtain a residency match, medical students entering emergency medicine (EM) must complete away rotations, submit a number of lengthy applications, and travel to multiple programs to interview. The expenses incurred acquiring this residency position are burdensome, but there is little specialty-specific data estimating it. We sought to quantify the actual cost spent by medical students applying to EM residency programs by surveying students as they attended a residency interview. METHODS: Researchers created a 16-item survey, which asked about the time and monetary costs associated with the entire EM residency application process. Applicants chosen to interview for an EM residency position at our institution were invited to complete the survey during their interview day. RESULTS: In total, 66 out of a possible 81 residency applicants (an 81% response rate) completed our survey. The "average applicant" who interviewed at our residency program for the 2015-16 cycle completed 1.6 away, or "audition," rotations, each costing an average of $1,065 to complete. This "average applicant" applied to 42.8 programs, and then attended 13.7 interviews. The cost of interviewing at our program averaged $342 and in total, an average of $8,312 would be spent in the pursuit of an EM residency. CONCLUSION: Due to multiple factors, the costs of securing an EM residency spot can be expensive. By understanding the components that are driving this trend, we hope that the academic EM community can explore avenues to help curtail these costs.

Dermatomyositis with extensive calcification in an adult.

This report reviews a case of dermatomyositis presenting with weakness and extensive calcification in an adult. While dermatomyositis is not uncommon in adults, it is uncommon for calcifications to be present. Children develop calcifications more frequently than adults. When present in adults, small calcifications on areas of frequent trauma such as elbows and fingers are more common. However, this patient presented with large calcified deposits in his abdomen and extremities. His treatment and course are described.

Antacids, altered mental status, and milk-alkali syndrome.

The frequency of milk-alkali syndrome decreased rapidly after the development of histamine-2 antagonists and proton pump inhibitors for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease; however, the availability and overconsumption of antacids and calcium supplements can still place patients at risk (D. P. Beall et al., 2006). Here we describe a patient who presented with altered mental status, hypercalcemia, metabolic alkalosis, and acute renal failure in the context of ingesting large amounts of antacids to control dyspepsia.