A 30-year-old woman, three weeks after giving birth, has had 24 hours of pain in the left breast. There is a t…

Question

A 30-year-old woman, three weeks after giving birth, has had 24 hours of pain in the left breast. There is a tender, red, wedge-shaped area in the upper outer quadrant with no fluctuance. Her temperature is 38.6 degrees Celsius and her heart rate is 104 beats per minute; she has had rigors and aching limbs. There is a fissure at the base of the nipple. She has continued to feed and to express from the affected breast since yesterday, without improvement. She has no drug allergies. Which one of t…

Accepted Answer

Dicloxacillin 500 mg orally, six-hourly

Answer

Cefalexin 500 mg orally, six-hourly

Answer

Incision and drainage of the breast

Answer

Intravenous flucloxacillin in hospital

Answer

No antibiotic, with review in 48 hours

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