Septic Arthritis
Septic arthritis is an infection of the joint space. The infection usually reaches the joint space through hematogenous spread of the bacteria but it could also be due to direct inoculation. It is more likely to occur in immunocompromised individuals and those who have damaged joints. Staph. aureus is the most common infectious agent whereas N. gonorrhea is usually responsible for septic arthritis in sexually active young adults. The clinical features include acute onset of mono-articular arthritis with pain, swelling, warmth, fever, chills and malaise. It can occur in any of the body's joints but the most common site is the knee. Diagnosis is made based on arthrocentesis which shows >50,000 WBCs. Management includes IV antibiotics for atleast 2 weeks which is then switched to oral antibiotics for 4 weeks. Septic arthritis is a medical emergency with a mortality of 10% so treatment should never be delayed!