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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18e
| Part 8. Infectious Diseases > Section 1. Basic Considerations in Infectious Diseases > |
Chapter 121. Approach to the Acutely Ill Infected Febrile Patient
Sections: Approach to the Acutely Ill Infected Febrile Patient: Introduction, Specific Presentations, Conclusion, Further Readings.
Topics Discussed: febrile infection.
Excerpt:"The physician treating the acutely ill febrile patient must be able to recognize infections that require emergent attention. If such infections are not adequately evaluated and treated at initial presentation, the opportunity to alter an adverse outcome may be lost. In this chapter, the clinical presentations of and approach to patients with relatively common infectious disease emergencies are discussed. These infectious processes and their treatments are discussed in detail in other chapters.Before the history is elicited and a physical examination performed, an immediate assessment of the patient's general appearance can yield valuable information. The perceptive physician's subjective sense that a patient is septic or toxic often proves accurate. Visible agitation or anxiety in a febrile patient can be a harbinger of critical illness.Presenting symptoms are frequently nonspecific. Detailed questions should be asked about the onset and duration of symptoms and about changes in severity or rate of progression over time. Host factors and comorbid conditions may enhance the risk of infection with certain organisms or of a more fulminant course than is usually seen. Lack of splenic function, alcoholism with significant liver disease, IV drug..."
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