Erysipelas in Emergency Medicine Follow-up
- Author: Geofrey Nochimson, MD; Chief Editor: Rick Kulkarni, MD more...
Further Outpatient Care
Patients with erysipelas should have a follow-up visit with primary care 24-48 hours after ED visit, unless symptoms are clearly improving and other problems have not developed.
Inpatient & Outpatient Medications
- Antibiotics
- Analgesics
- Antipyretics
Complications
Complications of erysipelas may include the following:
- Gangrene/amputation
- Bacteremia sepsis
- Scarlet fever
- Pneumonia
- Abscess[3, 1]
- Embolism
- Meningitis
- Death
Prognosis
- Excellent, if treated properly in patients with intact immune systems
- Chronic edema
- Scarring
- Elephantiasis from chronic, recurrent cases (rare)
- May resolve spontaneously, even when untreated
Patient Education
Instruct patients to rest, elevate affected area, and use warm compresses 4 times a day for 48 hours. Patients should return or see primary care physician if experiencing an increase in pain, fever and chills, redness, or other new symptoms.
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