HIV and ID Observations

September 6th, 2010

Treating Cellulitis: Getting the Answer Wrong and Right

What’s the right antibiotic choice for cellulitis in the era of community-acquired MRSA? As astutely pointed out by Anne in her comment, the “correct” answer to the recertification question was #4, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, for the following reason: I am not a doctor, I am a test developer. Having exactly zero knowledge about the content here (could be Chinese […]

---

September 1st, 2010

Testing your Testing Skills

Have I whined yet about how I’m part of the first Internal Medicine class that was not “grandfathered” through to eternal board certfication?  If not, now I have. So for you fellow test-takers, here’s another one for you, adapted somewhat from this delightful experience I’m required to go through every 10 years.  Oddly, just like the last one reviewed […]

---

March 14th, 2010

MRSA Bacteremia Question Redux — and the “Answer”

As noted here, I recently had to answer a question on management of MRSA bacteremia as part of an every-10-year cycle of test-taking. (For more on that joyous process, read this interesting debate here in the New England Journal of Medicine.) The question seemed to have no obvious right answer, so I did what one is explicitly allowed to […]

---

March 5th, 2010

Test Question on MRSA Bacteremia

I just happened to be taking a test the other day — something I do for fun every now and then, say every 10 years or so — and I came across this question (slightly condensed/changed to protect the innocent): Man with history of IDU admitted with fever, has bacteremia due to MRSA (MIC 2 mcg/mL […]

---

February 19th, 2010

CROI 2011 Dates: February 27-March 3, Boston

CROI just about wrapping up — excellent, as usual.  Hope to provide some “greatest hits” shortly. But since John Mellors announced the dates of next year’s conference — and because the CROI web site can be “leisurely” in posting this information — I offer the following evidence as a public service to researchers, teachers, clinicians, and […]

---

September 12th, 2009

49th ICAAC Starts Today

Browsing through the program book, I see these topics extensively covered: H1N1 and seasonal flu, in all their glory — transmission, pathogenesis, treatment, predictions Highly resistant GNR — acinetobacter, carbapenemases, ESBL, etc. MRSA — my personal favorite C diff — though perhaps a little less this year? While no one expects ICAAC to be an HIV-focused […]

---

June 16th, 2009

Q: What is the Purpose of a Note in the Patient Chart?

A:  Depends who you’re asking. The best guidance I ever received on how to write a good note came from my residency program director, who told us that a note needn’t be encyclopedic to be excellent; in fact, he urged us to get away from the “second-year medical student” style, which typically includes absolutely everything. Instead, he […]

---

May 13th, 2009

Working While Contagious: Why Do We Do This?

File this under, “physicians behaving badly”:  The nearly universal MD practice of going to work while sick. The ironic thing is we think we’re being selfless — after all, if we don’t show up, our patients will need to be rescheduled, or someone will need to cover, or some administrative/teaching task will not get done — […]

---

February 13th, 2009

CROI 2009: Greatest Hits

Fresh back from lovely Montreal, where the temperature (I’m glad to report) climbed into the balmy 40’s … Here’s a rapid-fire listing of the Greatest Hits.  As I’m sure to be leaving something off this list, happy to accept other suggestions: Interleukin-2 does not work.  The ESPRIT and SILCAAT studies are over. Yes, the CD4’s increase, but […]

---

January 4th, 2009

Top Stories in HIV Medicine

Happy New Year! In the spirit of list-making that seems to permeate the world right about this time, we’ve just published our own list over at AIDS Clinical Care.  Check it out — our editorial board this year did a superb job of summarizing the field. I have a strong feeling that next year’s version will have […]

---