Today, working as infectious disease physician (as opposed to my other roles), I rounded on 38 inpatients--quite a lot for me. I anticipate the next few days will bring the same sort of volume.
It wasn't one particular infection I was seeing; influenza has diminished in activity and there are no outbreaks. I think that the higher number of consultations is reflective of the growing appreciation of the value of an infectious disease physician in improving outcomes in those with severe infections, as has been shown.
What I did see today was a cornucopia of infections that challenged me intellectually and reinforced my passion for the field. Cytomegolovirus (CMV), Nocardia, and Staphylococcal prosthetic valve endocarditis were some of today's stars. Antibiotic resistance and C.diff always has an overshadowing supporting role in all I do.
The beauty and allure of infectious disease is that after all that today, I can't wait to see which bugs I get to battle with tomorrow.