Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research · 1990 · 56 citations · 0 references
MedicineOrthopaedic SurgeryOrthopedic SurgeryMusculoskeletal InfectionOrthopedicsRheumatologyJoint DiseaseJoint InfectionsKnee DisordersOrthopedic InfectionPostoperative Orthopaedic InfectionSeptic ArthritisBacterial Septic ArthritisGram-negative BacteremiaKnee Septic ArthritisOpen Surgical DrainageRepeated AspirationRetrospective Record ReviewSeptic Arthritis TreatmentStaphylococcus Aureus Contamination
Patients with pyarthrosis of the knee can be effectively managed by several different methods. A retrospective review of patients with the diagnosis of septic arthritis of the knee was undertaken to determine the efficacy of two different treatment programs. Multiple-needle arthrocentesis was contrasted with formal arthrotomy drainage. In this series, patients with a longer than three-day history of a knee pyarthrosis and those with Staphylococcus aureus or enteric gram-negative organisms on culture benefited from open drainage procedures in lieu of repeated aspiration techniques.