Children’s cellulitis score will aid treatment pathway
And it it likely to help reduce complications, say researchers
Australian researchers have developed the first clinical risk score to aid GPs and ED doctors in assessing severity of paediatric cellulitis.
The so-called ASSET tool (Area, Systematic Features, Swelling, Eye, Tenderness) score will help in decision-making on whether to start intravenous or oral antibiotics, its developer says.
The maximum score a child can receive is seven, and the researchers determined that a cut-off score of four to start IV antibiotics produced the best results.
Developer Dr Laila Ibrahim, a paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, says the tool could help reduce complications such as abscess.
