Good Afternoon,
We have a 71 y.o. male patient who had a PICC placed late June for antibiotics and removed approximately 12 days later in July. This morning presented with "knife-like" pain at old site with swelling to upper arm. The physician saw him and put him on azythromycin, oral. The patient was told to call our service for further assistance. We brought him in to rule out UEDVT because he was describing this over the phone. The results are just in and negative. The site is clean and dry with a healed scar at the right arm insertion site. There is localized swelling but no discoloration, warmth, numbness or tingling to his arm or fingers. The patient described fever and chills but we are not sure if it is related to this or his previous abdominal infection. It doesn't look like cellulitis to us.
Has anyone had any experience with this?
Thanks very much,
Carole Fuseck
Fairview Hospital
Sounds like there is some type of infection going on somewhere with the fever and chills. Any chance of suppurative thrombophlebitis that was in a superficial vein and not detected if only deep veins were examined? Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
The examination included the entire right side which showed normal compression and flow throughout, and the left subclavian only, which showed normal compression and flow. Yes, the fever and chills bother me for some type of infection.
Also, would azithromycin be the antibiotic of choice if it was cellulitis?
Thanks,
Carole
Azithromycin is indicated for skin infections caused by staph or strep. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861