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Cellulitis
People with lymphoedema are prone to recurrent episodes of cellulitis, and urgent antibiotic treatment is essential to control the spread of the infection.
Recommended antibiotics are:
- dicloxacillin or flucloxacillin — 500mg orally, every 6 hours, for 7–10 days
or
- clindamycin (for patients allergic to penicillin) — 450mg orally, every 8 hours.
Patients should be advised to:
- rest in bed and elevate the affected body part
- continue using their compression garment, if comfortable and tolerable
- cease lymphatic drainage until the cellulitis has resolved.
In cases of frequent recurrence of cellulitis, consider continuous prophylaxis – the recommended plan is:
- phenoxymethylpenicillin — 250mg orally, twice daily, for 6 months initially.