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Leg cellulitis is a common reason for hospitalization, but the diagnosis is often erroneous, and even among those with genuine cellulitis, many can be treated as outpatients. Investigators in a British hospital established a clinic, staffed by dermatologic nurses and physicians, to evaluate and treat patients referred from primary care and hospital physicians for presumptive severe leg cellulitis. The goals were to have dermatologists establish the proper diagnosis, treat any underlying cutaneous disorders, avoid hospitalization if possible, and prescribe appropriate antibiotics.
Of the 635 patients seen in the first 40 months, 67% had cellulitis, but 33% had another condition instead, primarily eczema, lymphedema, and lipodermatosclerosis. …