Acute infections in people who inject drugs

What you need to knowHave a low threshold for imaging with computed tomography (CT) angiography, thoracic CT, and echocardiography in people who inject drugs presenting with acute infectionsArrange urgent surgical referral for patients with pseudoaneurysm, abscess, necrotising soft tissue infection, or septic arthritisEarly switch to oral antimicrobial therapy, once clinically stable, may improve compliance and can be as effective as intravenous therapyA39 year old man presents to the emergency department with a seven day history of fever and rigors associated with pain and swelling in the right leg. He had recently injected heroin into the right groin before the onset of pain. On admission he was febrile, tachycardic, and tachypnoeic with audible crackles in both lung fields, and had cellulitis of the right leg.About 275 million people inject drugs according to the UN 2021 World Drug Report, an increase of 22% from 2010.1 Acute bacterial infections are common in people…
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