Question What is the national health care burden of misdiagnosed lower extremity cellulitis in patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency department?
Findings In this cross-sectional study that included 259 patients, 30% were misdiagnosed with cellulitis, of which 85% did not require hospitalization and 92% received unnecessary antibiotics. Combining these findings with previously published data, cost estimates, and and projections indicate that cellulitis misdiagnosis leads to 50 000 to 130 000 unnecessary hospitalizations in the United States and $195 million to $515 million in avoidable health care spending annually.
Meaning Misdiagnosis of lower extremity cellulitis is common and may lead to unnecessary patient morbidity and considerable health care spending.
