TABLE 2.
Clinical characteristics of skin infections
| Demographic characteristic | Total cohort (n = 293) | Success (n = 224) | Failure (n = 69) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider location, no. (%) | 0.98 | |||
| Emergency room | 127 (43.3) | 97 (43.3) | 30 (43.5) | |
| Primary care | 166 (56.7) | 127 (56.7) | 39 (56.5) | |
| Antibiotic prescribed, no. (%) | 0.89 | |||
| Cephalexin | 87 (29.7) | 68 (30.4) | 19 (27.5) | |
| Clindamycin | 45 (15.4) | 35 (15.6) | 10 (14.5) | |
| TMP-SMX | 96 (32.8) | 71 (31.7) | 25 (36.2) | |
| TMP plus cephalexin | 8 (2.7) | 7 (3.1) | 1 (1.4) | |
| Other | 57 (19.4) | 43 (19.2) | 14 (20.3) | |
| Duration of treatment (days), mean ± SD | 9.0 ± 1.92 | 8.94 ± 2.01 | 9.14 ± 1.59 | 0.43 |
| Anatomic area, no. (%) | 0.66 | |||
| Buttocks/groin | 20 (6.8) | 14 (6.2) | 6 (8.7) | |
| Head/neck | 50 (17.1) | 38 (17) | 12 (17.4) | |
| Lower extremity | 172 (58.7) | 129 (57.6) | 43 (62.3) | |
| Trunk/abdomen | 13 (4.4) | 11 (4.9) | 2 (2.9) | |
| Upper extremity | 38 (13) | 32 (14.3) | 6 (8.7) | |
| Incision and drainage, no. (%) | 51 (17.4) | 38 (20) | 13 (18.8) | 0.72 |
| Type of infection, no. (%) | 0.77 | |||
| Abscess | 67 (22.9) | 49 (21.9) | 18 (26.1) | |
| Cellulitis | 182 (62.1) | 141 (62.9) | 41 (59.4) | |
| Mixed | 44 (15) | 34 (15.2) | 10 (14.5) | |
| Culture result (n = 45), no. (%) | 0.012 | |||
| Gram negative | 1 (2.2) | 1 (3.2) | 0 | |
| MRSA | 14 (31.1) | 5 (16.1) | 9 (64.3) | |
| S. aureus | 16 (35.6) | 12 (38.7) | 4 (28.6) | |
| Skin flora | 11 (24.4) | 11 (35.5) | 0 | |
| No growth | 3 (6.7) | 2 (6.4) | 1 (7.1) | |
| Hospitalization within 30 days, no. (%) | 15 (5.1) | 1 (0.5) | 14 (20.3) | <0.0001 |