Date: January 25th, 2022

Reference: Beyde et al. Efficacy of empiric antibiotic management of septic olecranon bursitis without bursal aspiration in emergency department patients. AEM January 2022

Guest Skeptic: Dr. Corey Heitz is an emergency physician in Roanoke, Virginia. He is also the CME editor for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Case: You’re working in your busy freestanding emergency department (ED) getting absolutely crushed handing out COVID19 tests like candy and are relieved to see a patient with something different. A 27-year-old male construction worker building a local house presents with a tender, warm, erythematous olecranon and you diagnose him with septic olecranon bursitis. You offer to drain the bursa and get him back to work ASAP, and the patient looks very anxious and asks if you really must.

Background: We have covered skin and soft tissue infections multiple times on the SGEM. The most recent time was with guest skeptic and SAEM FOAMed Excellence in Education Award winner Dr. Lauren Westafer (SGEM#348). We reviewed Dr. David Talan and colleagues’ study that was the October 2021 SGEM Hot Off the Press. That study investigated if a single-dose long-acting intravenous antibiotic could reduce hospitalization in patients with skin infections.

The SGEM bottom line from that episode was in hospital systems with access to IV dalbavancin and the ability to establish expedited telephone and in-person follow up, this clinical pathway is associated with a decrease in hospitalizations for patients with moderately severe cellulitis.

A couple of other SGEM episodes have looked at the management of cellulitis including SGEM#131 and SGEM#209. The treatment of abscesses has been covered four times on the SGEM (SGEM#13, SGEM#156, SGEM#164 and SGEM#311). The latest episode looked at the loop technique to drain uncomplicated abscesses. One topic we have not looked at is infected bursa.

It’s estimated that about half of olecranon bursitis cases are septic[1]. Often, diagnostic aspiration is performed, but complications include fistula formation, further infection, and need for bursectomy [2-6].

Often the workup of septic bursitis is based upon anecdotal evidence [7]. This is likely due to the lack of high-quality evidence to direct our care. One area with limited information is the efficacy of empiric antibiotics without bursal aspiration.

Clinical Question: What is the efficacy and outcomes associated with empiric antibiotic therapy, without aspiration, for septic olecranon bursitis?

Reference: Beyde et al. Efficacy of empiric antibiotic management of septic olecranon bursitis without bursal aspiration in emergency department patients. AEM January 2022

* Population: Adults >18 years old with olecranon bursitis

* Excluded: Declined authorization,