Question of the Week - January 2023

 

January 18th, 2023

A 58 year old male presented to the ED with a fever, facial swelling, and nasal congestion over the past two weeks. He woke up three days ago with sudden facial pain near his right eye. He reports recently being diagnosed with a condition, however he was lost to follow-up. Notable labs include an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 473/µL. Histopathology and CT show the following:

Which of the following is not one of the mainstays of treatment for this patient’s condition?

A. Antibacterial therapy
B. Correction of the underlying disease
C. Antifungal therapy
D. Surgical debridement
E. None of the above

 

January 25th, 2023

A 43-year-old woman is seen in the clinic for 3 days of left-sided hearing loss. She had a productive cough and stuffy nose one week ago while on vacation in Hawaii. She states she had stabbing pain in her left ear during plane descent on her return flight and that the flight attendant’s pre-landing announcements sounded muffled. She also noticed blood on the tissue she used to rub her ear canal during landing. All symptoms have resolved except her unilateral hearing loss. What is the next step in management?

A. Tympanoplasty

B. Irrigation of the external auditory canal

C. Oral antibiotics + steroids

D. Topical antibiotics

E. Reassurance