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Cellulitis - acute - Management
When should I refer a person with cellulitis?
- Consider admitting to hospital people with:
- Severe or rapidly deteriorating cellulitis (e.g. cellulitis affecting extensive areas of skin or which is spreading), or an uncertain diagnosis with sinister signs or symptoms (e.g. possible necrotizing fasciitis).
- Severe systemic illness (e.g. fever, or nausea and vomiting).
- Comorbidities that may complicate or delay healing (e.g. peripheral vascular disease, chronic venous insufficiency, morbid obesity, immunosuppression, intravenous drug use).
- The very young (e.g. children under 1 year of age), and elderly or frail people.
- Lymphoedema (gross swelling of the limb).
- Facial cellulitis.
- Periorbital cellulitis (refer to ophthalmologist).
- Refer people who:
- Fail to respond to oral antibiotics (see follow up).
- Have recurrent cellulitis, for example more than two episodes at the same site (consider routine referral).
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