Use of teledermatology by dermatology hospitalists is effective in the diagnosis and management of inpatient disease.

BACKGROUND: Patient outcomes are improved when dermatologists provide inpatient consultations. Inpatient access to dermatologists is limited, illustrating an opportunity to use teledermatology. Little is known about the ability of dermatologists to accurately diagnose disease and manage inpatients with teledermatology, particularly when using nondermatologist-generated clinical data. METHODS: This prospective study assessed the ability of teledermatology to diagnose disease and manage 41 dermatology consultations from a large urban tertiary care center, using internal medicine referral documentation and photographs. Twenty-seven dermatology hospitalists were surveyed. Interrater agreement was assessed by the κ statistic. RESULTS: There was substantial agreement between in-person and teledermatology assessment of the diagnosis with differential diagnosis (median κ = 0.83), substantial agreement in laboratory evaluation decisions (median κ = 0.67), almost perfect agreement in imaging decisions (median κ = 1.0), and moderate agreement in biopsy decisions (median κ = 0.43). There was almost perfect agreement in treatment (median κ = 1.0), but no agreement in follow-up planning (median κ = 0.0). There was no association between raw photograph quality and the primary plus differential diagnosis or primary diagnosis alone. LIMITATIONS: Selection bias and single-center nature. CONCLUSIONS: Teledermatology may be effective in the inpatient setting, with concordant diagnosis, evaluation, and management decisions.

Drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms to anti-tuberculosis therapy: A retrospective review of inpatients at an academic medical centre in the United States.

This retrospective cohort study analyzes the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes of patients who developed drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) to tuberculosis (TB) therapy in a TB non-endemic region. Anti-TB agents represented 7.5% of all antimicrobial-induced DRESS cases, and rifampin was the most commonly implicated agent among drugs used to treat TB.

Cutaneous calciphylaxis: a retrospective histopathologic evaluation.

Calciphylaxis is a rare and life-threatening disease characterized by cutaneous necrosis and vascular calcification. Often, skin biopsy specimens are not diagnostic because of the limited depth of the specimen, biopsy site, and clinical stage. To better understand the utility of various histologic features in rendering the diagnosis of calciphylaxis and to compare von Kossa versus Alizarin red stains in the detection of calcium deposits, we retrospectively analyzed the histologic features and histochemical stain findings of 56 skin biopsies from 27 consecutive patients seen at Massachusetts General Hospital from October 2002 to April 2012, with confirmed diagnosis of calciphylaxis and compared with that of 19 skin biopsies from 17 patients with other disease processes. All forms of vascular calcification and vascular thrombosis were significantly associated with cutaneous calciphylaxis. Perieccrine calcium deposition, highly specific to calciphylaxis, was the only form of calcium deposition noted in 4 (7%) skin biopsies from patients with calciphylaxis. Although the staining appears to be comparable, the deposits seen on Alizarin red appeared larger and were birefringent. Although subtle, perieccrine calcification may aid in the diagnosis of calciphylaxis in settings where typical vascular and extravascular calcification are not identified. Performing both von Kossa and Alizarin red stains might increase the detection of calcium deposit.

Development of a Skin-Directed Scoring System for Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Epidermal Necrolysis: A Delphi Consensus Exercise.

Importance: Scoring systems for Stevens-Johnson syndrome and epidermal necrolysis (EN) only estimate patient prognosis and are weighted toward comorbidities and systemic features; morphologic terminology for EN lesions is inconsistent. Objectives: To establish consensus among expert dermatologists on EN terminology, morphologic progression, and most-affected sites, and to build a framework for developing a skin-directed scoring system for EN. Evidence Review: A Delphi consensus using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness criteria was initiated with a core group from the Society of Dermatology Hospitalists to establish agreement on the optimal design for an EN cutaneous scoring instrument, terminology, morphologic traits, and sites of involvement. Findings: In round 1, the 54 participating dermatology hospitalists reached consensus on all 49 statements (30 appropriate, 3 inappropriate, 16 uncertain). In round 2, they agreed on another 15 statements (8 appropriate, 7 uncertain). There was consistent agreement on the need for a skin-specific instrument; on the most-often affected skin sites (head and neck, chest, upper back, ocular mucosa, oral mucosa); and that blanching erythema, dusky erythema, targetoid erythema, vesicles/bullae, desquamation, and erosions comprise the morphologic traits of EN and can be consistently differentiated. Conclusions and Relevance: This consensus exercise confirmed the need for an EN skin-directed scoring system, nomenclature, and differentiation of specific morphologic traits, and identified the sites most affected. It also established a baseline consensus for a standardized EN instrument with consistent terminology.

An infant with pulmonary-cutaneous Sweet syndrome.

We report the case of a 31-day-old girl presenting with severe respiratory distress and cutaneous lesions from Sweet syndrome. Pulmonary symptoms unresponsive to antibiotics in patients with Sweet syndrome should raise suspicion for neutrophilic infiltration.

The impact of dermatology consultation on diagnostic accuracy and antibiotic use among patients with suspected cellulitis seen at outpatient internal medicine offices: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: Cellulitis is a common and costly problem, often diagnosed in the outpatient setting. Many cutaneous conditions may clinically mimic cellulitis, but little research has been done to assess the magnitude of the problem. OBJECTIVE: To determine if obtaining dermatology consultations in the outpatient primary care setting could assist in the diagnosis of pseudocellulitic conditions and reduce the rate of unnecessary antibiotic use. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Nonblinded randomized clinical trial of competent adults who were diagnosed as having cellulitis by their primary care physicians (PCPs), conducted at outpatient internal medical primary care offices affiliated with a large academic medical center. INTERVENTIONS: Outpatient dermatology consultation. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcomes were final diagnosis, antibiotic use, and need for hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 29 patients (12 male and 17 female) were enrolled for participation in this trial. Nine patients were randomized to continue with PCP management (control group), and 20 patients were randomized to receive a dermatology consultation (treatment group). Of the 20 patients in the dermatology consultation group, 2 (10%) were diagnosed as having cellulitis. In the control group, all 9 patients were diagnosed as having cellulitis by PCPs, but dermatologist evaluation determined that 6 (67%) of these patients had a psuedocellulitis rather than true infection. All 9 patients (100%) in the control group were treated for cellulitis with antibiotics vs 2 patients (10%) in the treatment group (P < .001). One patient in the control group was hospitalized. All patients in the treatment group reported improvement of their cutaneous condition at the 1-week follow-up examination. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Dermatology consultation in the primary care setting improves the diagnostic accuracy of suspected cellulitis and decreases unnecessary antibiotic use in patients with pseudocellulitic conditions. Obtaining an outpatient dermatology consultation may be a cost-effective strategy that improves quality of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01795092.