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What is the recommended fungal workup in an immunocompromised patient after 5 days of persistent fever?

Do you involve additional specialists, such as ENT, to further evaluate? Is there a particular algorithm followed by your institution, or is it just determined by the patient?
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What is your typical fungal workup in an immunocompromised patient after 5 days of persistent fever?

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3 Answers
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Infectious Disease · University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
Answered on · Updated on

For any patient with fevers, I focus significantly on any symptoms that a patient might have, like headache, diarrhea, and sinus symptoms, and work up a differential diagnosis based on possible pathogens in this area. If I am not finding anything, I would obtain a CT chest/abd/pelvis, as both invasi...

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Infectious Disease · Avera Medical Group Infectious Disease Specialists
Answered on

CT chest at the very least, regardless of symptoms.

Serum galactomannan.

I tend to find BDG worthless/problematic.

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Infectious Disease · Karmanos Cancer Center, Wayne State University
Answered on

It is important to obtain a CT chest despite a normal chest x-ray, including in patients with fever and with or without respiratory symptoms. It is not uncommon to see abnormal CT chest findings, with no resp symptoms/signs. Fever may be the only abnormality. In many cases, radiology is more reliabl...

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