Background: Septic arthritis (SA) of native joints has an incidence rate of 4-12 per 100,000 person-years. In 2012, there were 36, 539 hospitalizations for SA in US non-VA hospitals and costed the US healthcare system $2.85 billion. Such data has not been reported for US VA-healthcare System. SA has a mortality of 4-13%. Among survivors [...]

Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) takes two forms – radiographic (also known as ankylosing spondylitis(AS)) and non-radiographic (nr-axSpA). The symptoms caused are similar with chronic back pain, but nr-axSpA damage cannot be seen on X-rays. Historically, nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) did not have any approved codes so clinicians had to use AS and other codes. Starting [...]

Case Presentation: This is a 50-year-old woman with a history of Rheumatoid Arthritis on Rituxan and methylprednisolone, COVID-19, MGUS, and recent admissions for bacterial pneumonia and fever of unknown origin who presented with fevers, rigors, and dizziness. Of note, she had tested positive for COVID-19 on 4/2020 via a nasopharyngeal swab, and states fevers began [...]

Case Presentation: The diagnosis of a sexually active young male who presents with fevers, night sweats, weight loss with opportunistic infections and then found to have an acquired immunodeficiency is going to be HIV except when it isn’t. We present a patient with a presumptive diagnosis of HIV but a negative comprehensive HIV laboratory testing [...]

Case Presentation: A 70-year-old male with a history of hypertension and alcohol use disorder was referred to our ED for persistently elevated lipase. Two weeks prior he was admitted to an outside hospital for alcohol induced pancreatitis. On presentation, he reported bilateral ankle pain. Vitals were unremarkable. Physical examination was significant for bilateral erythematous, edematous [...]

Case Presentation: Case of a 63-year-old female with medical conditions of hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, and pulmonary embolism (2013) presented to our clinics with progressively worsening purpuric lesions since 1 month prior to evaluation. She stated that these lesions began in the lower extremities and progressed to involve her buttocks, [...]

Case Presentation: A 68-year-old male with osteoarthritis, status post bilateral knee replacement in 2014, presented with two weeks of flu-like symptoms, generalized weakness, and shortness of breath. Upon admission, the patient was noted to have a tender, swollen right knee with laboratories revealing neutrophilia with bandemia. Computed tomography (CT) of the joint revealed punctate gas [...]

Case Presentation: An 80-year-old man presented with progressive worsening of altered mental status after a fall and right knee trauma. Four days prior he developed subjective fevers, chills and inability to walk after the fall. Past medical history was significant for diverticulitis complicated by diverticular abscess six months prior to admission. He was homebound, no [...]

Case Presentation: A previously healthy 77 year-old woman with a history of porcine mitral valve repair (MVR) presented with left knee pain.  Three weeks prior to admission she experienced general malaise and intermittent chills. She then fell resulting in left knee pain and presented three days later due to inability to walk. On examination, she [...]

Case Presentation: A 29-year-old African American male with chronic intermittent low back pain of several weeks presented with sudden-onset severe low back pain and inability to bear weight or ambulate. Prior to his hospitalization, he had a few urgent care visits, where he was diagnosed with back pain of muscular origin and was discharged home [...]