A Search in VisualDx Leads to Accurate Diagnosis of Woman w/ Blister

Amalia G., a family nurse practitioner in Iowa City, shares her story about using VisualDx.

“I had a 80-year-old female patient with dementia who presented with the sudden development of a blister on the right leg that was fluctuant but did not rupture with touch or pressure. She reported that it was painful initially and that it appeared suddenly. It was a single lesion at the time and, after being painful, began to itch. Because of her dementia, it was difficult to gain a thorough history. She returned several days later with worsening symptoms and severe itching of the area. I used VisualDx to search bullous disorders and came across pictures and the description for bullous pemphigoid. I compared the patients symptoms, development of the bullous lesion and images against VisualDx’s clinical presentation of illness information and was able to make a diagnosis for this patient. Without VisualDx, I likely would have tried to treat but I would not have felt as confident in my treatment plan. The patient’s symptoms resolved after treatment for bullous pemphigoid was given.

*Bullous pemphigoid pictured is not patient in this story.