I am just back from the APMA National in Seattle. During the meeting not only did we have a successful Book Signing for the 3^rd Edition but I also discussed this blog during both of my lectures to large audiences on Saturday.  I am also pleased to announce that digests from this blog are being published on the Podiatry Today website (www.podiatrytoday.com) and we have already garnered a number of new viewers through that portal. Given the interest generated as evidenced by folks asking for information about this site I felt that I should restate my thoughts on what I want to accomplish with this blog for those newcomers checking in for the first time.  As I have previously written in an earlier introductory entry:

“The purpose of this site is twofold; to allow me to interact with anyone interested in the treatment of lower extremity infections and to give me an opportunity to update the readership on new developments in infectious diseases as they become available.  I regularly review the ID literature for manuscripts that have a direct bearing on the way we treat the lower extremity and attend ID meetings.  This blog allows me to disseminate that information rapidly which would be impossible if I had to wait for my next book revision.

I envision this site as being interactive.  If you have a question about an interesting case (you can even post pictures), have recently heard a lecture, been detailed by an antibiotic representative or just randomly thought of a question on which you would like my thoughts, ASK AWAY!  I will do my best to answer in a timely manner with the best available evidence to support what I say, not to mention a dose of my opinion/experience.    In the future I hope to start running the occasional poll to capture what others may do in a given situation.  If you have any other ideas for this site, please let me know.  I am open to suggestions on how to make it of value to you”

When you register, it is completely free with no obligation; you will get an email notification whenever I post something.  I don’t have a strict timeframe for posting.  I only put up something when I feel it will be of interest.  I may go a few weeks without any or do a few in a row. The best, most convenient way to know is to register. 

Although loaded with information, any textbook is static.  Once it is published, the information does not change.  Given the rapid pace of development in ID, diabetic foot and wound care, I feel it is important to have a means of keeping folks up to date with the latest information.   Thank you for your interest and please feel free to contact me with your thoughts and suggestions.

I will be in Columbus, OH for the Region IV (Ohio) meeting to lecture on June 3, 2010.  I have been given the “Learning Lunch” spot from 12:00 to 1:30 and plan on covering a broad range of lower extremity infectious diseases topics including MRSA, antibiotic therapy for osteomyelitis and diabetic foot infections.

Prior to my session, I will be in the Exhibit Hall from 9:30 – 11:30 at the Data Trace Booth to sign copies of the Handbook, talk about this blog and just answer questions anyone might have about treating infections.

I hope to see folks there!

To any of my readers planning on attending the NY Clinical Conference this coming weekend, I will be in the exhibit hall at the DataTrace booth on Saturday January 30th.  I will be there to discuss this blog, sign copies of the 3rd Edition (not that it will increase the value of it…heck, it may diminish it!) and just generally hang out and meet anyone interested in discussing lower extremity infectious diseases.  Please come by and say “Hi”.

Data Trace, the publisher of the Handbook of Lower Extremity Infections, 3^rd Edition, has started a bit of a marketing “blitz” in response to the recent release of the book.  I want to take this opportunity to welcome those of you who have just come across this blog either through the recent direct mailing or the ads in PM News or Podiatry Management Magazine.  The purpose of this site is twofold; to allow me to interact with anyone interested in the treatment of lower extremity infections and to give me an opportunity to update the readership on new developments in infectious diseases as they become available.  I regularly review the ID literature for manuscripts that have a direct bearing on the way we treat the lower extremity and attend ID meetings.  This blog allows me to disseminate that information rapidly which would be impossible if I had to wait for my next book revision.

I envision this site as being interactive.  If you have a question about an interesting case (you can even post pictures), have recently heard a lecture, been detailed by an antibiotic representative or just randomly thought of a question on which you would like my thoughts, ASK AWAY!  I will do my best to answer in a timely manner with the best available evidence to support what I say, not to mention a dose of my opinion/experience.    In the future I hope to start running the occasional poll to capture what others may do in a given situation.  If you have any other ideas for this site, please let me know.  I am open to suggestions on how to make it of value to you.

I just wanted to drop in a short post to tell everybody that the 3rd Edition of the Handbook of Lower Extremity Infections has been published and is now shipping. For anyone who ordered the book, if you have not received it already, you should be getting your copy soon. For those waiting for the finished product, wait no more! Place your order. Sorry for the commercial nature of this post, but I am really proud of the finished product and wanted to “shout it out” a bit. Many thanks to the entire staff at my new publisher, Data Trace for all of the hard work that went into this project. I have worked with many publishers over the years and Data Trace has done a wonderful job.

With the news of the imminent release of the 3^rd Edition tentatively scheduled for 9/25 it is time to update the blog. Over the next few days I hope to get a few more posts up covering some recent literature of interest and my experiences at the recent ICAAC meeting.  I would also like to bring your attention to the fact that we have posted a Preview of the MRSA Chapter.  This is a brand new section of the book covering a vitally important topic that, in earlier editions, only merited a few paragraphs.  MRSA has become a primary pathogen to the point that I have begun to pretty much cover virtually ALL of my hospitalized patients as if they have MRSA until proven otherwise.  This is what is known as “De-escalation therapy”.  You cover the patient broadly, as if they have MRSA, and then “de-escalate” to non-MRSA specific therapy if or when preliminary culture results (or surveillance screening) come back as being negative for MRSA. I cover more about this in the book itself.

The chapter preview includes my “History of Staph” where I review how we have come from the early days of penicillin sensitive staphylococcus, the development of penicillin, beta-lactamase forming staph, penicillinase resistant penicillins and finally MRSA…all in about a 50 year period.  The preview section also discusses the most recent classification of MRSA including the differences between CA- and HA-MRSA, clinical presentation and various virulence factors of each.  In the non-previewed section I go on to discuss the treatment approach including older and newer agents and importance of “MIC creep” amongst other subjects.

In the near future I hope to have posted the final preview section which will include the beginning of the newly revised diabetic foot infection chapter.  This section will include a discussion on the Infectious Diseases Society of America diabetic foot infection classification.

Needless to say, I am really excited about the book finally being published and ready to ship.  I hope you enjoy both the preview chapters and the new book itself.

You may notice that the top menu bar now has a new selection “Preview the Book”.  My idea in doing this was to get some important content from the book up on this blog to a) be a “public service” to readers of this site and b) act as a bit of a teaser to get the reader interested in purchasing the book in its entirety.  We have now posted the first of the planned previews with the opening 18 pages of Chapter 1 covering the basic principles of diagnosis of lower extremity infections.  This material covers the definition of infection, clinical diagnosis, the physical examination, explanation of fever and laboratory testing.  Readers of earlier editions of the Handbook will recognize that this content has not changed significantly from the previous editions.  Good basic principles are universal and do not change frequently so there was little need to update this material.  In upcoming previews I will include a portion of the totally new chapter on MRSA and a newly revised section of the diabetic foot infection chapter that reviews the Infectious Diseases Society of America diabetic foot infection guidelines.  This is all vital information that I felt was necessary to get on line to as large a readership as possible.  I hope that you find this posted material interesting and useful in everyday practice.