Expert Practices in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Flare Management: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Introduction: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin condition with recurrent, debilitating flares. Although the majority of patients with HS endorse flares, there is a lack of research regarding HS experts' flare management practices and perspectives. Methods: An anonymous online survey was distributed through an HS expert listserv. Board-certified dermatologists who saw 1 or more HS patient(s) per month were eligible for participation. Results: A total of 35 responses were collected; 97.1% self-identified as HS experts. Therapies used for HS flares by more than two-thirds of the respondents included systemic antibiotics (100%), nonprescription pain relievers (91.4%), intralesional triamcinolone injections (91.4%), prescription pain relievers (71.4%), oral corticosteroids (68.6%), and warm compresses (68.6%). The top 3 dermatologist-reported barriers that patients face in accessing care during flares include lack of clinic appointment availability (88.6%), distance that patients have to travel to reach clinic (85.7%), and lack of transportation for patients (62.9%). Conclusions: Overall, this study highlights variations in the ways that HS experts manage flares. Many of the treatment modalities used by the majority of respondents are not part of the official North American guidelines. Further prospective studies and expert consensus guidelines are needed to standardize the approach to flare management.

Evolution of a Project to Improve Inpatient-to-Outpatient Dermatology Care Transitions: Mixed Methods Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: In-hospital dermatological care has shifted from dedicated dermatology wards to consultation services, and some consulted patients may require postdischarge follow-up in outpatient dermatology. Safe and timely care transitions from inpatient-to-outpatient specialty care are critical for patient health, but communication around these transitions can be disjointed, and workflows can be complex. OBJECTIVE: In this 3-phase quality improvement effort, we developed and evaluated an intervention that leveraged an electronic health record (EHR) feature, known as SmartPhrase, to enable a new workflow to improve transitions from inpatient care to outpatient dermatology. METHODS: Phase 1 (February-March 2021) included interviews with patients and process mapping with key stakeholders to identify gaps and inform an intervention: a SmartPhrase table and associated workflow to promote collection of patient information needed for scheduling follow-up and closed-loop communication between dermatology and scheduling teams. In phase 2 (April-May 2021), semistructured interviews-with dermatologists (n=5), dermatology residents (n=5), and schedulers (n=6)-identified pain points and refinements. In phase 3, the intervention was evaluated by triangulating data from these interviews with measured changes in scheduling efficiency, visit completion, and messaging volume preimplementation (January-February 2021) and postimplementation (April-May 2021). RESULTS: Preintervention pain points included unclear workflow for care transitions, limited patient input in follow-up planning, multiple messaging channels (eg, EHR based, email, and phone messages), and time-inefficient patient tracking. The intervention addressed most pain points; interviewees reported the intervention was easy to adopt and improved scheduling efficiency, workload, and patient involvement. More visits were completed within the desired timeframe of 14 days after discharge during the postimplementation period (21/47, 45%) than the preimplementation period (28/41, 68%; P=.03). The messaging workload also decreased from 88 scheduling-related messages sent for 25 patients before implementation to 30 messages for 8 patients after implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Inpatient-to-outpatient specialty care transitions are complex and involve multiple stakeholders, thus requiring multifaceted solutions. With deliberate evaluation, broad stakeholder input, and iteration, we designed and implemented a successful solution using a standard EHR feature, SmartPhrase, integrated into a standardized workflow to improve the timeliness of posthospital specialty care and reduce workload.

Hidradenitis suppurativa in sexual and gender minorities: A review and considerations for providers.

The literature on hidradenitis suppurativa in sexual and gender minorities remains sparse. This review article aims to discuss critical factors for providers to consider in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, including associated comorbidities, gender-affirming hormonal therapy, squamous cell carcinoma, infections in HIV-positive patients, and creating a welcoming clinic for sexual and gender minority patients.

Teledermatology to Facilitate Patient Care Transitions From Inpatient to Outpatient Dermatology: Mixed Methods Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Both clinicians and patients have increasingly turned to telemedicine to improve care access, even in physical examination-dependent specialties such as dermatology. However, little is known about whether teledermatology supports effective and timely transitions from inpatient to outpatient care, which is a common care coordination gap. OBJECTIVE: Using mixed methods, this study sought to retrospectively evaluate how teledermatology affected clinic capacity, scheduling efficiency, and timeliness of follow-up care for patients transitioning from inpatient to outpatient dermatology care. METHODS: Patient-level encounter scheduling data were used to compare the number and proportion of patients who were scheduled and received in-clinic or video dermatology follow-ups within 14 and 90 days after discharge across 3 phases: June to September 2019 (before teledermatology), June to September 2020 (early teledermatology), and February to May 2021 (sustained teledermatology). The time from discharge to scheduling and completion of patient follow-up visits for each care modality was also compared. Dermatology clinicians and schedulers were also interviewed between April and May 2021 to assess their perceptions of teledermatology for postdischarge patients. RESULTS: More patients completed follow-up within 90 days after discharge during early (n=101) and sustained (n=100) teledermatology use than at baseline (n=74). Thus, the clinic's capacity to provide follow-up to patients transitioning from inpatient increased from baseline by 36% in the early (101 from 74) and sustained (100 from 74) teledermatology periods. During early teledermatology use, 61.4% (62/101) of the follow-ups were conducted via video. This decreased significantly to 47% (47/100) in the following year, when COVID-19-related restrictions started to lift (P=.04), indicating more targeted but still substantial use. The proportion of patients who were followed up within the recommended 14 days after discharge did not differ significantly between video and in-clinic visits during the early (33/62, 53% vs 15/39, 38%; P=.15) or sustained (26/53, 60% vs 28/47, 49%; P=.29) teledermatology periods. Interviewees agreed that teledermatology would continue to be offered. Most considered postdischarge follow-up patients to be ideal candidates for teledermatology as they had undergone a recent in-person assessment and might have difficulty attending in-clinic visits because of competing health priorities. Some reported patients needing technological support. Ultimately, most agreed that the choice of follow-up care modality should be the patient's own. CONCLUSIONS: Teledermatology could be an important tool for maintaining accessible, flexible, and convenient care for recently discharged patients needing follow-up care. Teledermatology increased clinic capacity, even during the pandemic, although the timeliness of care transitions did not improve. Ultimately, the care modality should be determined through communication with patients to incorporate their and their caregivers' preferences.

Pyoderma Gangrenosum After Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a neutrophilic dermatosis, which mimics both infection and necrotizing fasciitis, that can present after surgical interventions. We present the case of a 62-year-old male who underwent one-stage bilateral total knee arthroplasty. Nine days after the surgery, he presented with wound breakdown, high fever, and elevated white blood cell count. Repeated debridement was performed, and empiric antibiotics were given. All tissue cultures and aspirates remained negative throughout treatment course, and the patient remained unresponsive to therapy. The patient was eventually diagnosed with pyoderma gangrenosum after infectious etiologies were ruled out and after a skin biopsy and dermatologic consultation. His condition rapidly improved after treatment with corticosteroids, and soft-tissue defects were repaired with skin substitute and full-thickness skin grafting. In patients with aseptic wound breakdown after total knee arthroplasty, pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare but devastating complication and should be considered.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to progressive disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as cellulitis.

Histoplasmosis-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a rate but lethal disease in immunocompromised hosts. Unusual clinical presentations make diagnosing invasive fungal infection even more challenging. Here we present a case of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to progressive disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as cellulitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematous. A high index of suspicion combined with histopathology and molecular diagnostic techniques are important to establish an accurate and timely diagnosis of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients.

Efficacy of Etanercept in the Treatment of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

It has been suggested that the use of etanercept for treatment of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) might provide improved mortality benefit and decreased skin healing times. This retrospective study compared the use of single-dose subcutaneous etanercept to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and supportive care alone. Thirteen patients were treated with a single dose (50 mg) of subcutaneous etanercept. Results of this study support the use of etanercept as a potentially beneficial agent in the treatment of SJS/TEN.

The use of etanercept for treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis when toxic shock syndrome is in the differential.

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) can sometimes mimic Steven Johnsons syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of both TSS and SJS/TEN. Etanercept, a TNF-alpha inhibitor has been recently shown to treat and decrease mortality of SJS/TEN. We report a 51-year-old female with history of SJS presenting with painful skin and bullae 2 days following cystoscopy with botulinum toxin injection into the bladder. Due to initial concern for SJS/TEN, the patient was treated with 50 mg of subcutaneous etanercept. Punch biopsies were not consistent with SJS, and the patient fulfilled five out of five criteria for a confirmed case of TSS. The patient ultimately had a favorable outcome despite etanercept treatment. Ultimately, TNF-alpha antagonists are an emerging therapy to treat SJS/TEN, and are unlikely to worsen TSS prognosis. Given that etanercept can be used to successfully treat SJS/TEN and TNF-alpha levels are elevated in TSS, if a dermatologist chooses to treat TEN with etanercept, consideration of TSS on the differential should not necessarily exclude etanercept as a reasonable treatment option.

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Multicenter Retrospective Study of 377 Adult Patients from the United States.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) is a rare, severe mucocutaneous reaction with few large cohorts reported. This multicenter retrospective study included patients with SJS/TEN seen by inpatient consultative dermatologists at 18 academic medical centers in the United States. A total of 377 adult patients with SJS/TEN between January 1, 2000 and June 1, 2015 were entered, including 260 of 377 (69%) from 2010 onward. The most frequent cause of SJS/TEN was medication reaction in 338 of 377 (89.7%), most often to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (89/338; 26.3%). Most patients were managed in an intensive care (100/368; 27.2%) or burn unit (151/368; 41.0%). Most received pharmacologic therapy (266/376; 70.7%) versus supportive care alone (110/376; 29.3%)-typically corticosteroids (113/266; 42.5%), intravenous immunoglobulin (94/266; 35.3%), or both therapies (54/266; 20.3%). Based on day 1 SCORTEN predicted mortality, approximately 78 in-hospital deaths were expected (77.7/368; 21%), but the observed mortality of 54 patients (54/368; 14.7%) was significantly lower (standardized mortality ratio = 0.70; 95% confidence interval = 0.58-0.79). Stratified by therapy received, the standardized mortality ratio was lowest among those receiving both steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (standardized mortality ratio = 0.52; 95% confidence interval 0.21-0.79). This large cohort provides contemporary information regarding US patients with SJS/TEN. Mortality, although substantial, was significantly lower than predicted. Although the precise role of pharmacotherapy remains unclear, co-administration of corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin, among other therapies, may warrant further study.

Lamellar ichthyosis in a female neonate without a collodion membrane.

The term, autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI), describes a group of rare genetic skin diseases of cornification involving hyperkeratotic scaling at birth. The defective skin barrier function may lead to dehydration, body temperature instability, and high susceptibility to infections. In most cases of ARCI, neonates are born with a collodion membrane covering the body, often presenting with ectropion and eclabium. We report a premature female neonate presenting with hyperkeratotic scaling at birth without a collodion membrane. She was managed with placement in a humidified isolette, prophylactic antibiotics, dilute bleach baths, petrolatum ointment, and artificial eye drops. By the fourth week of life, there was marked improvement in her skin with the large, brown, plate-like scales on the trunk and extremities becoming lighter in color and finer in appearance. The ichthyosis genetic panel showed mutations in the ABCA12 gene resulting in the lamellar ichthyosis phenotype of ARCI. Our literature review revealed at least 28 patients with ARCI who were not born as collodion babies. Although collodion babies are a hallmark of most ARCI cases, clinicians should be aware of neonates with ARCI born without a collodion membrane and expedite appropriate workup and treatment.

Vaccine-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis: A case and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are cutaneous hypersensitivityreactions that develop in response to specific triggers such as medications and certain infections. Vaccines, which undergo rigorous safety testing prior to use in humans, are a rare cause of SJS/TEN and little is known about the frequency of such events and corresponding pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE: Herein, we discuss a case of suspected TEN in a 19-year-old woman who received the meningococcal B vaccine (the first report of such an association) and conduct a systematic review of the associated literature. We also discuss management of this patient with a single dose of etanercept. METHODS: Relevant literature was searched using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. RESULTS: A total of 29 articles reporting EM, SJS, or TEN following vaccination were included from >5 countries. Of the 29, 22 articles reported EM, 6/29 reported SJS, and 4/29 reported TEN (3 articlesreported cases of both EM and SJS/TEN). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest consideration of vaccines as an etiology for cases of SJS or TEN that begin with an EM-like presentation, and provide further evidence for the use of etanercept as a viable treatment for TEN.