45-Year-Old With Painful Ankle Lesion

45-Year-Old With Painful Ankle Lesion

A 45-year-old woman presents to urgent care with a painful area that developed on her right ankle 2 weeks prior. The patient had a family history of venous thromboembolism. On examination, a variegated brown patch with a central pink angulated scar and an overlying thick crust on the lateral ankle was seen. There was also unilateral peripheral leg edema. On laboratory examination, anemia, thrombocytopenia and anticardiolipin antibodies were present. View the image and consider what …

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Death After Delayed Diagnosis of Acute Epiglottitis in an Adult Patient Initially Seen in Urgent Care: A Case Report

Death After Delayed Diagnosis of Acute Epiglottitis in an Adult Patient Initially Seen in Urgent Care: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Epiglottitis is a potentially fatal condition that has undergone a changing etiology in the post-Hib vaccine landscape. Urgent care providers should be well versed on its presentation to properly triage patients and avoid misdiagnosis. William Bradley, BA Citation: Bradley W. Death After Delayed Diagnosis of Acute Epiglottitis in an Adult Patient Initially Seen in Urgent Care: A Case Report. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(6)31-35. Key words: sore throat, epiglottitis, thumbprint sign Abstract …

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Clinical Review of Current Best Practices for Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment in the Urgent Care Setting

Clinical Review of Current Best Practices for Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment in the Urgent Care Setting

Urgent Message: Patients may present with needs surrounding tuberculosis (TB) screening, testing, and treatment to urgent care centers. There is considerable nuance in the approach to these scenarios with consequences for both patient and public health. Urgent care centers should develop clear guidelines for ensuring clinicians select the appropriate TB test for each patient and interpret the results accurately. Erin Loo, PA-C; Lindsey E. Fish, MD Citation: Loo E, Fish LE. Clinical Review of Current …

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Looking Beyond the Mouth–A Rare Case of Acute Glaucoma Presenting with Dental Pain: A Case Report

Looking Beyond the Mouth–A Rare Case of Acute Glaucoma Presenting with Dental Pain: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Acute angle closure glaucoma can present with a variety of types of head and facial pain. Rapid identification of concern for elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) or confirmation of elevated IOP by tonometry is critical for preserving vision. Mackenzie Brown, MD; Joshua W. Russell, MD, MSc, ELS, FCUCM, FACEP; Alexander Branson, MD Citation: Brown M, Russell JW, Branson A. Looking Beyond the Mouth–A Rare Case of Acute Glaucoma Presenting with Dental Pain: A Case …

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16-Year-Old With Hip Pain

16-Year-Old With Hip Pain

A 16-year-old female presents to urgent care with her mother after soccer practice at school. She says she felt a “pop” in her left hip, immediately followed by posterior hip pain. Walking makes it worse, but resting makes the pain better. An x-ray is ordered. Review the image and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.

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65-Year-Old With Finger Growth

65-Year-Old With Finger Growth

A 65-year-old woman presents to urgent care complaining of a growth that developed on her finger 2 months prior. She says it’s not painful or itchy and has not grown since she first noticed it. On examination, a solitary, smooth, pinkish papule with a tiny central crust is seen on her distal interphalangeal joint on her left index finger. The patient has a history of osteoarthritis. View the image below and consider what your diagnosis …

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Urgent Care Assessment and Management of Shoulder Dislocations

Urgent Care Assessment and Management of Shoulder Dislocations

Urgent Message: The vast majority of shoulder dislocations are anterior, occurring when stress is applied to an externally rotated and abducted shoulder. In most cases, immediate reduction is indicated, and urgent care clinicians should be familiar with situations that call for emergency department referral. Jennifer Hicks, DO; Matthew B. Baird, MD Citation: Hicks J, Baird MB. Urgent Care Assessment and Management of Shoulder Dislocations. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(5):9-15 Questions for the Clinician at …

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Abstracts in Urgent Care – February 2025

Abstracts in Urgent Care – February 2025

Concussion Recovery in Young Children   Take Home Point: This study suggests that children aged 5-12 years old with concussion have similar trajectories of recovery regardless of mechanism of injury. Citation: Ledoux A, Sicard V, Bijelic V, et. all. Symptom Recovery in Children Aged 5 to 12 Years With Sport-Related and Non–Sport-Related Concussion. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Dec 2;7(12): e2448797. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.48797. Relevance: More knowledge about the natural history of concussion in children can help …

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