management
Last reviewed 01/2018
This condition requires urgent referral.
Immediate treatment is necessary and should be initiated before the causative organism is known. Cultures should be obtained from septic lesions on the face, the nose, or the CSF in order that the most effective drug may be selected - beta lactamase resistant antibiotics for staphylococci, amoxicillin and augmentin for haemophilus. Post-traumatic cellulitis should be covered for gram-negative and gram- positive bacilli.
Hot compresses help localise the inflammatory reaction. Nasal decongestants and vasoconstrictors help drain the sinuses. Surgical drainage is indicated in suppurative preseptal cellulitis.