#54: Upper Respiratory Infections: Coughs, colds, gargling, and antibiotic underuse?!

Don’t miss life threatening upper respiratory infections, and stop underusing antibiotics with tools and tips from our wonderful guests: Dr. Robert Centor, Professor of Medicine at University of Alabama, known for developing the Centor Criteria for pharyngitis, and his excellent blog and Twitter feed @medrants; and Dr. Alexandra Lane, Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Director of the Resident Clinic at Cooper University Hospital. We cover red flag signs in upper respiratory tract infections, diagnostic testing, physical exam maneuvers, antibiotic therapy, and symptom management. Plus, we’ll teach you have to counsel patients about upper respiratory infections and recommend some great learning resources.

Full show notes available at http://thecurbsiders.com/podcast

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Case from Kashlak Memorial Hospital: 39 yo F with obesity, HTN, fibromyalgia who presents with 3 days of chills, subjective fevers, sinus pressure/congestion, post-nasal drip, and cough with some green/yellow mucus. She says, “I get this every year and it only goes away with antibiotics. They usually give me a z-pack”.

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