Conditions
Cellulitis outpatient triage
Practical framework for skin/soft tissue infection triage, severity grading, and escalation to urgent care pathways.
Last reviewed 2026-02-07|cellulitis | skin infection | triage
Assessment priorities
- Confirm infection pattern, progression speed, and portal of entry.
- Assess fever, systemic symptoms, comorbid diabetes/vascular disease, and immune status.
- Distinguish cellulitis from mimics and identify abscess or deeper infection concern.
Red flags
- Rapid progression, severe pain out of proportion, or necrotizing infection concern.
- Hemodynamic instability, confusion, or sepsis features.
- Failure of initial treatment with worsening systemic illness.
Initial management
- Define outpatient versus urgent pathway based on severity and host risk.
- Start evidence-aligned treatment and mark borders for progression monitoring.
- Counsel on wound care, hydration, and adherence to follow-up plan.
Follow-up and escalation
- Reassess within 24-48 hours for trajectory confirmation.
- Escalate promptly if erythema spreads, fever persists, or systemic features emerge.
- Coordinate referral/hospital pathway for complicated or recurrent disease.